


BOOK 1

by Agent Finlay (AgentFinlay), AgentFinlay



Series: Forgotten Avengers: The Recovered Files of Skoll & Hati [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers - Freeform, Barnes - Freeform, Fanfic, Marvel - Freeform, OC, Other, SHIELD, mcu - Freeform, rogers - Freeform, slow build romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:54:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 33,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22295893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentFinlay/pseuds/Agent%20Finlay, https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentFinlay/pseuds/AgentFinlay
Summary: As Fin and Elena start their careers as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, everything seems to be going by the book. That is until the sky opened above New York City and changed everything.
Relationships: Bucky/OC, Steve/OC
Series: Forgotten Avengers: The Recovered Files of Skoll & Hati [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1604899
Kudos: 1





	1. Thunder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The duo find themselves on their first big mission, to investigate a 'satellite' that had crashed in New Mexico.

**[Fin - 08:36 April 3, 2011 - Sunset Park]**

_ Thunder - Imagine Dragons _

“0-8-4 reported, 34.896211, -105.758454, sector 4. First unit en route to confirm.” The monotone voice came across the open line and the sound of a pencil scratching paper faded into quick typing.

“You’re going to drive yourself crazy listening to the open line like that.” I spoke up from the couch, the typing stopped for a moment but Elena didn’t answer. After four years as agents and teammates, I had never seen her so distracted. Listening to the open line wasn’t anything new, she always resorted to the chatter if we had too much downtime. I never thought much of it since typically I was going stir crazy for a job before her, but she didn’t usually take notes unless the job sounded interesting, this was just a 0-8-4. I rolled onto my feet and walked over to her desk. “Fine, I'll bite. Where’s the action?”

“New Mexico.” She didn’t look up from the computer when she spoke, instead, she started clicking through the open tabs of news stories related to the area over the last few days. 

‘Rare Auroras seen in NM’, ‘Desert storm brings down satellite’, ‘Local man claims alien abduction for 7th time.’

“10-4 noted. Departure?” The second voice on the radio responded to the first.

“08:00. 08U7342. Codename Cheese.”

“I don’t think it’s that last one.” I pointed to the abduction, “I mean, shield interviewed that guy after the 3rd time, they wouldn’t be sending someone down again.”

“He’s not an unknown object either, but it popped up when I searched for local stories. Who was that, the codename? I haven’t heard that one before?” she asked, I smiled. Sometimes I forget that growing up in the organization came with the perks of uncommon information. 

“That’s Coulson.” I laughed, remembering when I used to play spy games with him as a kid and our code names were ham and cheese. I hadn’t known that was actually his code name until I was older. Elena finally turned away from the computer to look at me. 

“I didn’t realize he even had a code name. Everyone calls him Coulson in the field.”

“That comes with seniority I guess, the open line still has to use codes though.”

“I guess that’s why I hadn’t heard it before either, his stuff isn’t usually open lined.”

“True.” I continued my train of thought aloud.” He was heading a research team for a stretch, nothing dispatch there. He resigned from that and Fury sent him to Greenland for some recovery thing, also nothing to dispatch being all secret and whatnot. Coulson liked that assignment but he got pulled back here when Tony went missing. He’s been babysitting Stark ever since. I wonder what got him pulled into the field?”

“Must be something big.” Elena answered, not bothering to look up as she kept reading the article about Auroras.

“Spill, what’s up? You’re...pensive.”

“It’s just a little...close to home for me.” She closed the story about the aurora and moved onto the satellite article. 

  
  


**[Coulson - 08:39 EDT April 3, 2011 - NEAR PUENTE ANTIGUO]**

Coulson pulled up to the edge of the crater in a rented SUV that couldn’t have screamed ‘government’ any louder if it had been painted on the side. He parked and stepped out, the dust clinging to his shoes. 

“Sir.” He spoke calmly over the coms. “We found it.”

“Excellent. What do you need?” 

“There are a lot of civilians on site.” He started but the man on the other end of the line cut him off. 

“You have my personal authorization to do what you need to do to keep this under wraps as quietly as possible. You know how sensitive New Mexico is after the Roswell incident.”

“Understood. Send in some van units, I picked up reports of a research team operating in the area, I'm going to have to make sure they won’t cause any problems.”

“Anything else?”

“Send Agent’s Skoll and Hati as well. Agent Skoll may be able to assist with local resources.”

“Orders are being sent as we speak. See what you can accomplish in the meantime. Get those civilians out of there, I can hear them over the coms. Sounds like a damned demolition derby.”

“You’re not wrong. I’ll handle it, sir.”

  
  


**[Fin - 09:18 April 3, 2011 - NY SHIELD HANGAR, BAY 4]**

“Agent Barton. I didn’t expect to see you here.” I smiled. I’d always liked Agent Barton and even though we’d been tasked on a few group missions with him, this was the first time we’d had him escort us personally. 

“Hey Fin, I mean,” He cleared his throat and put on a serious voice. “Agent Smith” He looked over my shoulder and greeted my partner, “Agent Allen. Agent Coulson said he had a field trip for us.” He flipped his sunglasses down with more drama than the moment called for. “You up for it?”

“Hell yes.” I answered. Excited to be going into the field with an Agent I liked and respected I pushed past him into the waiting quinjet. Elena followed and he climbed into the pilot’s chair. 

“You speak to your father with that mouth!?” he tried to sound exasperated but I could hear the humor in it. 

“Fuck yea I do!” I said excitedly, Elena shot me a glance and Agent Barton looked at me over the top of his glasses from the front seat. I cleared my throat. 

“I mean… fudge no...sir?” It felt awkward but he laughed and turned back to the steering console. I looked at Elena and shrugged, she sat back in her chair and I could have sworn that under that professional facade she was laughing at me too. 

It wasn’t long before we landed somewhere in New Mexico. The area was already clear of civilians by the time we arrived on site, scaffolding and lights were set up around the perimeter as well as a quarantine tarp, complete with plastic collapsible tunnels that always made me think of the E.T. movie. Beyond that, there was a set perimeter and a guarded fence line, complete with black sedans making rounds to keep people out. Elena and I were ordered into one of the vans and we hopped in, not asking questions. When we passed through the fence and onto what I assumed was the main road into town a familiar voice addressed us from the front seat. 

“It’s about time you two got here,” Coulson leaned around the seat to look at us. 

“We would have been here sooner but Agent Barton kept threatening to ‘turn this jet around’ anytime we asked if we were there yet.” Elena laughed.

“I’m going to have to have a talk with Barton about his sense of urgency.” 

“Where are we heading?” I asked, seeing the town up ahead.

“Unfortunately there is a researcher in town, we’re pretty sure they have recordings of the event that produced the object. We need to confiscate all of the equipment and records, make sure there isn’t anything that’s going to end up on the internet causing a panic.”

“What do you need from us? You have a van team ready.” Elena asked. She was right, we weren’t trained for clearing, we were trained for tactical excursions and reconnaissance. 

“The researcher is a woman,” He looked down at the folder in his hands. “Jane Foster. I thought it might be advantageous to have some women on-site in case she puts up a fight. I don’t want any of the suits to get too rough, we’re taking her life’s work and she has every reason to be hostile about it but it needs to be done.”

“And you think having some other women there will make her feel less threatened by the big bad government agents taking all her research?” Elena asked. 

“Maybe” Coulson shrugged. “At best you just stand there and look friendly, worst you tackle her to keep her compliant.”

“Dibs on tackling, you handle the friendly-looking.” I announced to Elena. She smiled. “Yea! Just like that!” I could hear Coulson laughing as we pulled up to the building. 

  
  


**[Elena - 20:36 April 3, 2011 - NEAR PUENTE ANTIGUO]**

The ‘recovery’ of Jane Foster’s research had been uneventful, no tackling needed. She wasn’t happy about it but she didn’t do anything rash and we’d made it back to the 084’s drop site in good time. I couldn’t help but look up as thunder rolled through the sky and static crackled across the coms, a man on guard duty said something about the storm interfering with the tech and I tried to ignore the steady white noise in my ear. Another voice cutting through the static, there was something on the west side perimeter that needed attention, that was Fin’s side. I simultaneously wished it was nothing, for her safety and it was something, for her sanity. That woman was not good at tedium. 

“What’s happening?” I asked her over the coms.

“Nothing that concerns me, not yet. A few guys just went to check the fence.”

Before I could ask more questions the words “Agent down” crossed the line and all hell broke loose. Grinding alarms sounded and red lights flashed, I wondered if anyone realized that adding more noise and lights were only going to add distraction and make it easier for whoever was here to move around undetected but I wasn’t in charge so I bit my tongue and filed the complaint away for later. I watched as all the guards grabbed guns and started running to the fences. Morons, whoever took down an agent was clearly already inside the fence. I rolled my eyes as Hawkeye’s voice whispered in my ear and the rain started.

“Skoll. Hati. Hold your positions. Let them do the grunt work.” He sounded out of breath and I wasn’t 100% sure but something told me he hadn’t made it back up to his perch after his meeting with Coulson and he was trying to get there now.”

“Anyone else more concerned that we are in the desert, in a giant bowl during a freak rainstorm than about whatever may be lurking? Just me? No one else cares about flash floods...cool.” I asked, letting my voice trail into nothing at the end of the sentence but i heard Barton chuckle before Fin’s voice broke through. 

“Shit, I hear a noise in the tunnel. Whatever got in must have taken one of the other entrances. Hawkeye they are headed your way, I’m headed in after him and closing exits.”

“Copy, I’ll do the same on my end. Meet in the middle.” I swung into the tunnel, taking the metal stairs by two and holding my firearm at the ready. Coulson must have figured out that our target was in the tunnels too, he called for eyes up high over the radio and requested a gun but that wasn’t really Hawkeye’s style. As I cleared the tunnels scientist in white hazmat suits passed me, trying to get out, I let them go realizing that it seemed all other security had moved in as well. I heard the whirring of the crane and felt reassured knowing at the very least Barton was back in position. 

“Barton, talk to me.” It was Coulson on the coms, barely audible through the static. 

“You want me to slow him down sir? Or are you sending in more guys for him to beat up?”

“I’ll let you know.”

I made it to the center and tried to shake off the tingle creeping up my spine. I’d come in to see the 0-8-4 when we’d first arrived and gotten the same feeling, it wasn’t unpleasant but I didn’t know what to make of it. Searching for the target I saw Fin across the way, blades drawn, She shrugged when she saw my questioning look.

“Hawkeye, we’re at the center. Where is the target?”

“Mud Wrestling. Maintain position and await my go.” He answered nonchalantly and we waited. The best we could hope for would be to assist Hawkeye in a takedown from above.

“Better call it Coulson, I’m starting to root for this guy.” Barton said flatly as a large blonde man walked into the center of the scaffolding, he was a level below where Fin and I stood and we waited for instruction. When it didn’t seem he would get an answer he prompted for one. “Last chance sir.”

“Wait. I want to see this.”

We watched, all of us, as the man took the hammer in his hand and I knew I wasn’t the only one holding my breath. His grip tightened, his muscles tensed, I felt the pressure build in my ears as we watched the struggle. Nothing happened, the man looked up in disbelief, shouting at the sky before dropping to his knees in defeat.

“Alright. Show’s over. Ground units move in.” On Coulson’s word, the strange man was handcuffed and lead away. I walked over to Fin to speak without relying on tech for a few blessed seconds. 

“Well, that was anticlimactic.” She started, sheathing her butterfly swords as I nodded, looking down into the pit. “You alright?” 

“Yeah.” I rubbed a hand across the back of my neck. “That thing just gives off a weird vibe...almost like...I feel like it’s looking at me.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Maybe it’s a bad way of putting it, but you know that feeling you get when you're being watched and the hair on your neck stands on end?” She nodded, not wanting to interrupt me. “It’s like that, and it’s worse the closer I get to it.”

“Maybe I should take a closer look.” She suggested helpfully, her face practically asking me to encourage her to do so. 

“Is that so?” I laughed.

“For science Skoll. SCIENCE.” Her eyes got wide as she tried to emphasize the importance of her suggestion. 

“Fine!” I threw up my hands. “Go touch it before someone stops you.” She leaped off the scaffolding and down into the mud, moving briskly toward the hammer as Barton walked up beside me. 

“What’s she doing?”

“Science, apparently.”

“Science looks a lot like herniating yourself trying to pick up an 0-8-4” He tilted his head as we watched Fin’s feet slide out from under her in the mud. 

  
  


**[Coulson - 20:58 April 3, 2011 - NEAR PUENTE ANTIGUO]**

Alone in the stark white room, the blonde guy didn’t seem as intimidating as he had in the dark. He looked straight ahead as Coulson spoke, barely listening. 

“You made my men, some of the most highly trained professionals in the world, look like a bunch of minimum wage mall cops. That's hurtful. In my experience it takes someone who's received similar training to do what you did to them. Why don't you tell me where you received your training? Pakistan? Chechnya? Afghanistan?” no response.

“You know, you strike me more as the soldier of fortune type. Where was it? South Africa? Certain groups pay very well for a mercenary like you. Who are you?” One way or another we'll find out what we need to know. We're good at that.” Something in Coulson's pocket beeped, taking his attention

“Don't go anywhere.”

Coulson stepped out of the room, showing his pager to a technician. 

“Can you trace this?” The tech took it like it would bite him.

“I can try sir, I... I don’t know anyone that still uses this technology.”

“Well let’s get past that. Bottom line is I just got a message from a number I don't recognize on a blocked government device, that shouldn’t be possible either. Trace it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Coulson paced, watching the tech work frantically until he couldn’t stand it any longer. 

“I’m going back in, come get me once you’ve sorted it out.”

“Yes, sir.”

Coulson re-entered the room and was greeted by the first words that the man had spoken since they handcuffed him.

“Goodbye”

“Goodbye? I just got back?” Before Coulson could get an answer Agent Sitwell announced that the man had a visitor. After some less than convincing conversation by a very nervous Dr. Selvig, Coulson decided if this so-called “Donald Blake” wouldn’t talk here, it was likely to get more information from him elsewhere. He released the man and once they reached the fence he ordered Agents Skoll and Hati to follow.

“We still have agents in town? On Foster?” He asked, watching the new agents climb into a truck.

“Yes, sir.”

“And the number?”

“I...I can’t tell you who it’s from but I can tell you it’s a satellite phone in Greenland.”

“Greenland?” Coulson’s eyebrows rose.

“Yes. Sir.”

  
  


**[Fin - 21:47 April 3, 2011 - PUENTE ANTIGUO]**

Elena and I made ourselves at home at a pool table in the shadowy back corner of the dive bar. We would be able to hear the men well enough without raising suspicion. Elena ordered us drinks while I racked the balls, may as well halfway enjoy the recon. She sat the drinks on a table beside us, they had fruit and little umbrellas on them, I looked at her questioningly. 

“It was all they had that wasn't beer. Do you want a beer?”

I made a face, discarding the paper umbrella before sipping my drink. It was good, fruity with the burn of rum. Lots of rum, for the first time I was glad my metabolism wouldn't let me get drunk. Elena took the first shot at the table, sinking a few balls before slowly walking around, making sure we were still listening in. It was a boring conversation, although the blonde man who was calling himself Thor now that they were in private, had taken Ms. Foster’s notebook. Not that it mattered, Coulson had left it in the open because it hadn't contained anything that couldn't be made public. Knowing Coulson he'd also left it there to see if the stranger was affiliated with Foster, taking it back proved he was. 

The two men continued to talk about Norse mythology and drink, nothing threatening society but it was a little concerning that the man was telling stories as though he was Thor himself. 

I finished my fruity drink and took my shot at the table, making a note to tell Coulson about the sincerity the man spoke with. Either he truly believed with all his being that he was the god of thunder, or he was. 

After another round of both drinks and pool, a short and polite blow off of some locals, and a less polite assertion that we were not, in fact lesbians; Thor and a very inebriated Dr. Selvig stumbled off the premises. We followed them as far as the building where Ms. Foster stayed before heading back to the crater. There was already ample surveillance on the area so we had no reason to linger.

“There is something really strange about that guy, don't you think?” Elena asked as we got into the car.

“What isn't strange? He thinks he is Thor, god of thunder and all that.”

“He does have a hammer” she spoke flatly, eyes on the desert road as she drove.

“That he couldn't even pick up, so he can't be Thor, obviously. Also, is Thor meant to be that pretty? I pictured him more...angry viking and less...Shampoo commercial.”

“Mmm.”

“You’re not even listening to me are you?”

“It's just...the hammer shows up and then this guy saying he is Thor...and I didn't notice in the crater but at the bar...when I went to pick up drinks. If I got too close to him I got that same feeling that I get from the hammer.”

“I would claim coincidence but we both know Coulson doesn't believe in them, so we are going to have to think of a reason that would be the case.”

“I already have,” she hesitated. “...they’re from the same place.”

  
  


**[Coulson - 09:14 April 4, 2011- NEAR PUENTE ANTIGUO]**

“What the hell was that?” Coulson asked, seeing the screen register an anomaly. 

“I don't know sir, we got massive energy readings out of nowhere and then they just disappeared.” The tech spoke as he walked, trying to keep pace. “15 miles due northwest.”

“Let’s go take a look.” He walked to the nearest car and climbed into the driver seat, aiming for the bumps in the dirt road as he pulled out. He heard one of the back seat passengers curse as she bounced awake. “Good morning ladies! I hope you weren’t out too late. We have a weird energy reading in the middle of the desert to check out. Exciting isn’t it.”

“5 more minutes Pop.” Fin’s said through a stifled yawn. 

“I don’t drive that slow, you have three”

“Fair enough.” She answered as he saw her head pop into the rearview mirror, tugging her hair into a neat ponytail. His estimate of three minutes wasn’t too far off, they were at the site of the anomaly before they knew it. It looked like the rest of the desert if you ignored the large impression in the sand that created a perfect circle filled with intricate knotwork. 

“Get somebody from linguistics down here.” Coulson requested when Sitwell couldn’t tell him anything helpful about the circle. Coulson stood, willing his knees to unbend from his crouched position as he looked back at the design. He glanced in Fin and Elena’s direction, Fin was bored, he could tell by the way she shifted from one foot to the other but Elena was on edge. She rubbed her hand across the back of her neck, the same way she had when she’d been close to the hammer. Coulson started to wave her over to discuss the matter but when he noticed her looking at the sky instead of the ground he chose to do the same. 

The clouds were beginning to swirl, although there wasn’t enough wind to warrant it, Lightning flashed and the distant rumble of thunder rolled above them. Coulson began to pace the perimeter, wanting to view the isolated storm at every angle. When he passed Fin and Elena he heard them whispering. 

“That’s awesome!” Fin was trying to stay professional but he could hear the childlike excitement in her voice.

“I don’t like it. I can feel it...it’s like all the hair on my body is standing on end.” Elena hissed as another crash of thunder passed and the ground shook. Sand kicked up around them and everyone ducked behind the nearest car for what cover they could manage. It stopped as suddenly as it began. A large metal humanoid figure stood in the circle, silver and plated it stood at least fifteen feet tall.

“Is that one of Stark’s?” Sitwell asked. Coulson hadn’t considered that but it was possible. 

“I don’t know, that guy never tells me anything.” Coulson grabbed a bullhorn from the car and walked into the path of the giant, Elena and Fin flanking him. “Hello! You are using unregistered weapons technology. Identify yourself.” The face of the automaton dropped. “Here we go.” Coulson relaxed, expecting to see a face behind the sheeted metal. Instead, the creature glowed from the inside as though lit by the fires of hell itself. 

“Incoming!” Coulson shouted, pulling Fin and Elena to the ground with him as he dove behind a car. A column of heat scorched the air where they stood and Elena could smell the air itself burning. A second blast sent cars and agents alike flying in a cloud of metal and ash, a third melted the car beside them into an unrecognizable lump. “Stay down” Coulson whispered from his position, pinning the two Agents where they lay.

“Don’t have much of a choice there Pop.” Fin laughed nervously, the three of them lay there and listened to the footsteps of the automaton fade into the distance. “Has Pepper been feeding you sweets while you’ve been babysitting Tony? You feel like you may have gained some weight.”

“What?” his attention refocused on them. “Oh, right. Sorry.” He stood and helped them to their feet. 

“Well, at least I know where she gets it from.” Elena mumbled, dusting off her pants. 

“We have a situation.” Coulson announced over the radio. “It’s heading your way, do not engage. The hostile is of unknown origin, clear out any civilians. I repeat do not engage.”

“If we aren’t engaging then what are we doing? We can’t just let it melt the whole town.” Fin asked. 

“Three things. 1. Get to town as fast as you can, 2. help people get out, 3. Don’t die.” he paused for a second. “The order isn’t important. Go! I’ll catch up.”

  
  


**[Elena - 09:59 April 4, 2011 - NEAR PUENTE ANTIGUO]**

_Waiting for the Thunder - Blackberry smoke_

When we reached the edge of town, the bulk of the agents and civilians were already gone, only a handful remained. I recognized a couple. Jane Foster, Dr. Selvig, the intern; I hadn't caught her name. The man that called himself Thor was walking down the center of the street toward the metal giant while the rest of the people watched. The ones I didn't know were dressed...well to put it simply they were wearing armor, which I couldn’t deny was odd since I was pretty sure there wasn’t a ren-fair in town. 

The automaton kicked a car out of its path as easily as I would kick a tin can, we stopped and stood to the side, we were told not to engage and we wouldn't. There wasn’t much we could do to stop the thing anyway but the crazy blonde guy was going to kill himself walking straight for it like that. I saw his mouth moving and realized he was trying to reason with it, I strained to hear him over the crackling of several nearby fires but I managed. 

“Brother whatever I have done to wrong you, whatever I have done to lead you to this. I am truly sorry, but these people are innocent. Taking their lives will gain you nothing...so take mine and end this.”

The massive being paused, as though considering his words and for a moment I thought maybe…

The automaton drew back its arm and swung into the man, throwing him nearly the length of the town. I heard his ribs shatter on impact. I watched as Jane Foster ran to his side, they were too far for me to hear but I imagined the words weren’t important, I could see her tears. Whatever he had done had worked, the giant turned and began to walk back the way it came. I heard Fin’s voice behind me whisper ‘Coulson’ and knew she meant that we should run ahead to warn him in case he was seen as a threat. I knew she was right but there was something that I needed to stay here for, something I needed to figure out. It was a noise, an incredibly piercing hum that was ringing in my ears and not knowing the source was infuriating. 

“Jane!” I heard Dr. Selvig yell, I looked in their direction in time to see her pulled away as the source of the sound rocketed into the hand of the formerly unconscious man bringing all manner of lightning and thunder with it. The energy around us exploded and I nearly doubled over with the impact of it. The hammer flew out of the ball of energy, ringing off the metal face of its opponent before returning to the mass of lightning and coming out to strike again. The giant fell and when the lightning began to clear the man who called himself Thor stood in full armor, matching the strangers I’d seen before. 

“Elena…?” Fin questioned from behind me. 

“Yea Fin?”

“Is that? ...Did I hit my head or did that just happen?” She stuttered. I reached back and pinched her arm.”Ow. Ok. So that’s Thor. Cool. Totally normal. 100% happens all the time.”

“You’re rambling.”

“Right. Shutting up.”

I watched as the metal figure turned back toward Thor and the sky darkened above them. The clouds swirled into a massive vortex of wind and lightning above them as Thor leaped into the sky.

“Thor can fly. That’s a thing.” Fin commented.

“Apparently.” I agreed as I tried to watch the events unfold without my mouth gaping. Wind and sand don’t agree with such things. Debris started to fly and I felt a hand on my shoulder. Coulson had caught up and was pulling myself and Fin around the corner of the building we were against as cars began to move toward the eye of the storm. I wondered if it would manage to pull together a completely structured funnel drop as the automaton’s feet left the dirt, the monstrosity being sucked into the sky. From the ground it was hard to tell what was happening, the clouds were thick and the blue flashes of lightning countered the orange spouts of flame as the wind tore through the street below. With an ear-splitting screech and a blinding flash the now mangled metal being fell back to earth as the clouds dispersed. Thor walked calmly to his companions as the dust settled, the remaining shield agents came out of their hiding places as they saw Coulson and a few of them found a car that seemed unscathed. Fin and I walked behind Coulson who seemed determined to have words with ‘Thor’.

“Excuse me.” Coulson shouted as he approached, smiling “Donald? I don’t think you’ve been completely honest with me.”

“Know this, Son of Coul. You and I, we fight for the same cause, the protection of this world.” Thor looked over Coulson’s shoulder at me as he spoke. “If one of the Vargrburin is with you, I can do no less. From this day forward you can count me as your ally...If you return the items you have taken from Jane.”

“Stolen” She interjected before I could ask him to clarify what he meant by 'vargrburin'. 

“Borrowed.” Coulson countered. “Of course you can have your equipment back. You’re going to need it to continue your research.” 

Thor was speaking to Jane but I wasn’t listening, what he was saying was less important to me than why he’d looked at me when he’d told Coulson he had a ‘Vargrburin’ with him. I rolled the word around in my brain and wished my ancient Norse was less rusty. The fact that Varg meant wolf was enough cause for concern in my book, how did he know by looking at me? Did I give off some strange energy like I felt from him? From the hammer? If so, why could he tell?

“Wait! I need to debrief you!” I heard Coulson shout over my thoughts and looked up in time to notice our new god friend had flown the coop. I assumed literally since both Fin and Coulson were looking up. After a minute Coulson sent Fin to make sure the other agents were ready to leave before he stepped up to me. 

“Vargrburin. Have you heard that term before?” He asked gently. I shook my head in the negative and he continued. “Wolf-born. Although it’s my understanding only the big ones were called Vargr. You know, Skoll, Hati, Fenrir. Freki and Geri but...You alright?”

“Yeah... I just. How did he know?”

“We don’t know much about where your gifts originate, other than what you know. It’s hereditary, the powers are only produced with a true match between the parents, it’s an old gift. Maybe as old as Vikings? Maybe somewhere down Loki’s line, someone fell in love with one of us mere mortals.” He smiled. I knew he was trying to be light-hearted about the matter but having just met Thor in the flesh I wasn’t too keen on thinking the god of mischief, could be my great great great grandfather. “I don’t think it’s really pertinent to the matter at hand, probably a detail that doesn’t need to make it into the debriefing.”

“We ready to go?” Fin asked, walking up to us.

“I think so.” Coulson smiled. “Elena?”

“Yeah.” I inhaled the familiar desert air, not actually ready to leave New Mexico just yet but ready to put some distance between myself and what happened here. “Let’s go.”

  
  



	2. Talking to Myself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their adventure in New Mexico, Fin and Elena have no time to catch their breath as they are sent on a recon mission.

**[Coulson - 21:47 April 4, 2011 - EN ROUTE]**

Coulson hadn’t had time to do as much as change clothes after returning the girls home before the next quinjet was picking him up. He redressed as they flew, sand falling out of his pockets as he did. As much as he didn’t like the sand in every crevice, he wasn’t sure he was any more excited about his next destination. Last he’d checked, which was not long before they left New Mexico, it was eleven degrees on the northern coast of Greenland. He wondered who’d decided to call it Greenland, he’d never seen much green on his past trips. He honestly hadn’t seen much of anything on his last trips but that didn’t change the fact that if his hypothesis was correct they would find what they were looking for. The sat phone that had called his pager ...yesterday? Was it really only yesterday? Regardless, the number had been civilian and when he’d called it back he was told to contact yet another number. At first, he was aggravated by the goose chase but when he finally reached a member of his team they explained that they were having issues with their long-range communications. The agent had started to elaborate but Coulson had stopped him, more concerned about what was so important that they would call on a civilian’s sat phone. 

They had found something, something big. Technically they hadn’t found it, it was spotted by a Russian freighter, but they came to investigate when a plane crash was reported not far from our search grid. Sure enough, it had been a large world war II era bomber. Coulson couldn’t think of any other bombers that went down in Greenland but he maintained his composure. Until he had confirmation that it was, in fact, the Valkyrie he wasn’t going to let himself get excited. Although, his level headed exterior hadn’t stopped him from giving them the go-ahead to breach the hull. 

He’d started to doze, the excitement finally wearing enough for him to sleep when the pilot called back to him. 

“Agent Coulson?” The voice was calm but stern, not wanting to disturb the sleeping passenger but knowing he needed to get his attention. 

“I’m up.” Coulson stretched, walking to the empty copilot’s seat. 

“Call for you sir. We’re close enough for shortwave. Maybe 45 minutes out, weather permitting.”

Coulson’s eyebrows rose, apparently, he’d been asleep longer than he’d thought. 

“On the line.” He spoke into the handheld, wired to the dash, and resisted the urge to make the crackling static sounds himself. 

“Agent Coulson?” The voice on the other end asked. Coulson couldn’t be sure which of his team he was talking too, they all sounded the same over comms. 

“That’s me. What isn’t that couldn’t wait until after I'd landed?” He asked, trying to keep his voice neutral. 

“Well Sir, we breached the hull. The structure is more intact than we originally anticipated.” Coulson waited silently for the man to finish. “Sir, we found something...I think we can confirm that this is the Valkyrie.”

“Excellent, show me when I land. Over.” He hung up the receiver and turned to the pilot. “How soon can we get down there?”

The pilot smiled but didn’t answer, instead he turned the jet into a steep descent and Coulson buckled into the copilot chair. Twenty minutes later they had landed, donned the extra layers that the climate called for and disembarked. When he saw the team he didn’t bother with casual niceties. 

“Show me.” He said flatly. He needed to see the proof for himself, whatever they had found that made them think that this was the craft they had been searching for, he had to see it with his own eyes. He had to prove to himself that this whole endeavor hadn’t been a waste of resources. The nearest man gestured to a table behind him, Coulson stepped forward. 

At first he was unsure what he was seeing, there was still ice encasing it and he had to wipe a layer of new frost off the edges. As soon as he had, he was sure. Under the palm of his gloved hand, entombed in layers of ice, was a circular vibranium shield with a very familiar paint scheme. “Have you found anything else?”

“Not yet, Sir.”

“Section off the area, get any remaining civilians off the premises.” His voice raised to an excited shout. “This is what we’ve been looking for. LET’S MOVE!”

  
  


**[Elena - 11:31 May 26, 2011 - EN ROUTE]**

Fin was cranky. I couldn’t blame her, not really, we were halfway to what I imagine was her idea of hell frozen over. Literally. Personally I was kind of excited to be going to Franz Josef Land. I wasn’t sure what we were going for, the whole archipelago was declared a nature sanctuary in 1994, but it had housed a few airbases in the cold war. They hadn’t been used since 1956 if the records were right, but considering they were sending us I was pretty sure someone in S.H.I.E.L.D. thought otherwise. At least I assumed they weren’t sending us to check on the polar bears, who knows. They usually got orders through Coulson but with him, in and out on missions there had been a few handed down the line, this was one of those. I missed Coulson’s briefings, he was thorough and would let you ask questions, clarifying instruction where it was needed. Some of the other dispatchers were good about it but others just gave you a sentence and hoped you ran with it. Unfortunately, this mission was turning out to be a ‘need to know’ mission and apparently Sitwell hadn’t decided we ‘needed to know’ when he sent the mission down the line. We had the location and instructions for ‘recon’, when I asked what we were looking for I was told, ‘You’ll know it when you see it.’. 

Yea. Thanks. That’s super helpful. Apparently Fin wasn’t the only cranky one. I pulled on my insulated boots as I watched Fin shove as many thermal heat packets into her pockets as they could hold, hoping she remembered the adrenaline shots. The shots weren’t a proven method but some research had been done on administering them to patients recovering from hypothermia, the medical team that was aware of Fin’s ‘condition’ wondered if using one preemptively would slow the progress. I could only hope it worked since there was no telling how long we would need to be here. 

The aircraft didn’t even land when it dropped us off, it just hovered at what the pilot deemed a survivable height and we jumped. We stood in calf-deep snow, looking around I didn't see or smell much of interest but I knew the abandoned airstrip was south of our drop point and started in that direction. When we reached a small building, one that looked like it had been used for storage, we ducked inside. It wasn’t much warmer but the smaller the structure the easier it would be to heat and it would do while we got our bearings. 

“No polar bears.” Fin announced. 

“They’re somewhere.” I promised. 

“I hope so, if I'm going to freeze my tits off I want to at least see something cool.”

“Fair enough, although I don’t think you will freeze that part off first, the nose will probably be the first to go.” I was kidding, sort of. 

“You wouldn’t let that happen,” she said sweetly, “You would fix it, right?”

“Your nose? Sure. But if your tits fall off you’re on your own.”

We pulled out the aerial photos of the island and found our current location, mapping out the rest of the base in relation to us and planning a course of action to methodically clear the structures. I’d researched the geography before we’d come and if there were people on the small islands the only place for them to be would be in the buildings, the rest of the archipelago was glacial, covered in predators with a dwindling food source that happened to be made up of territorial marine mammals. Unfortunately, that also meant that we were going to have to utilize the buildings for cover unless we wanted to suffer some serious exposure. I would probably be alright if worse came to worse my other form came equipped with a nice fur coat, but Fin would be an ice cube before she knew it.

“Clear the buildings that overlook this little shack?” Fin asked. We had the energy, it was a good idea, otherwise, the people in the surrounding buildings could get the jump on us later. I didn’t argue and we cleared the buildings without incident unless you count startling some birds as an incident. We secured the ground floor entrances and digitally marked them once they were closed, if anyone entered the buildings we would be alerted. Once back in the shack, as Fin had called it, we turned on the ceramic heater. It wasn’t the best option for heat but unlike fire, it didn’t give off light, not that light was an issue this time of year. We also didn’t have to find fuel for it since it ran on batteries, which we had an ample supply of. It warmed the small building well enough and after a passable dinner MRE of what claimed to be beef stew we took turns sleeping. The watches were miserable since there seemed to be nothing to watch, nothing to hear. It was basically alternating between sleeping and being envious of the person you were watching sleep and neither of us started the next day any less cranky than the one before. 

After a quick dry ration breakfast and the grossest coffee I’ve had the displeasure of putting in my mouth we started on the next section of buildings. 

  
  


**[Fin - 23:07 May 1, 2011 - FRANZ JOSEF LAND]**

The long stretches of daylight with no darkness were starting to get to me, the first night I had been too jetlagged to notice but after six days it was catching up. The upside of the extra light, we were clearing the structures in the area faster than we’d expected, especially once we’d decided that splitting up was safe as long as we were in adjacent buildings, but my sleep schedule was fucked beyond belief.

“Skoll. Confirm radio contact. Over.” We used the radio’s sparingly in case there was anyone to pick up the communications but we did need to keep each other posted. 

“Copy over.” Her voice whispered.

“I’ve got a door and some stairs that lead underground. Everything ground up has been cleared. Over.”

“I’m almost done here, I’ll head your way. Over.”

I was so impatient and by the time she got to me, I was ten steps down. 

“I told you I was coming.” She said, her foot landing softly on the top step.

“I know. I waited. See, I can still see the top of the stairs.” I negotiated. It was true, I could see the top but not the bottom, I still had no clue how far down this may go. She didn’t respond verbally but she did roll her eyes pretty hard. 

We continued down, the temperature actually warming as we went further into the earth. The stairwell wasn’t steep and had a slight curve, neither of us spoke as we walked and I knew we were both trying to mentally track our progress in relation to the surface. After what seemed like at least an hour the steps ended in a small room, maybe four by four but the walls weren’t flat or smooth, they were carved from rock. The wall opposite the steps was the same texture as the walls but not the same material. I took out a small light and shone it on the surfaces in turn. 

“Walls are rock, covered in ice, this one is metal.” I motioned to the edges of the rectangle under the layers of ice. “See the light coming through?”

She nodded.

“Wonder what’s on the other side?” she thought for a second. “It’s definitely outside with the sunlight coming through. Also, nothing else down here would be cold enough to freeze that solid and it would have to be near the coast because it’s salt water...smells like it anyway.” On impulse, I licked the ice wall.

“You’re not wrong.” I announced as I made a face.

“Thanks, Bill Nye.”

“No problem. Anything to help. P.s. Salt...not my number one choice of popsicle flavor.”

“Noted.” She waved impatiently for me to get back on track. 

“The top of this building has a tower, looks like it was used like a beacon or maybe a lighthouse but I didn't think it was close enough to the water to make sense as a lighthouse. Maybe when it was built it was closer to the water and the ice has just built out?” I asked. 

“Could be. Or we walked further than we think we did. Makes as much sense as anything.” she exhaled. ”Ready to go back up the stairs now?”

“Yeah,” I said absently, looking back at the frozen door and hoping if Coulson’s trip into the north was making more progress than our own, so far the most exciting thing we’d come across was a hole in the ground. 

  
  


**[Elena - 08:13 May 4, 2011 - FRANZ JOSEF LAND]**

I stood on the top level of what used to be an air traffic control tower, nearly all of the windows were still intact and I had an unobstructed view of the surrounding area for about three hundred degrees. The only wall keeping it from being a full panoramic faced north and only kept me from seeing the lighthouse that Fin had found a few days ago. The view was daunting. We were running out of buildings to search and I dreaded the idea of leaving the shelter of the base to search the expanse of ice and rock that was the rest of the archipelago. It would be more difficult to keep track of which islands were cleared, not to mention the logistics of getting from island to island where the gaps were wider than others. I could see movement in the distance but couldn’t make it out, I wondered if it was one of Fin’s polar bears. I looked toward the building Fin was clearing and saw her climbing out a window and pulling herself onto the roof. I didn’t bother asking what she was doing, I knew she was going stir crazy and if crawling around buildings was what she wanted to do, who was I to judge. 

I sat in one of the chairs that looked like it could survive the encounter, it squealed a short protest but it held. I started to mentally check off the buildings we had left, how long each should take to clear, how long before we would have to decide on our next move. The building creaked, groaning against the wind outside. I’d gotten used to the sound of the metal structures shifting of their own accord and was almost comforted by it compared to the barren silence of the open landscape. I leaned back in my chair, the sun warmed the room through the large windows and I was enjoying it for the moment. 

A hand clamped over my mouth. I didn’t fight at first, for a startled instant I thought Fin had managed to sneak up on me. Once the shock had passed my brain registered the acrid smell of a lifetime of cigarette smoke that permeated the mitten over my face and I started to move. I broke free of the stranger as a sharp pain ran through my arm, I pivoted on my feet to face the attacker but once I completed my turn the room kept spinning. I shook my head and reached for the com, I needed to get Fin. 

“Я так не думаю.” He grinned, his hand caught mine. My knees buckled and he caught me as I fell, I wondered what they’d used to drug me...whatever it was, they had to have used a lot for it to work so quickly. A second figure entered the room, my vision grew blurred and I couldn't really see more than the outline of the men. “помоги мне с ней.”

Heavy footsteps moved toward me where I lay and I felt my body lifted from the floor before the world went dark. 

  
  


**[Fin - 17:26 May 4, 2011 - FRANZ JOSEF LAND]**

_Talking to Myself - Mountains on the Moon_

I wasn’t sure how long it had been since I'd heard from Elena, this damned perpetual sunlight made it hard to keep track without constantly checking my watch. I’d cleared three adjoining buildings, finding a dark corner to take a nap in halfway through and although I didn't know how long I'd catnapped, I knew it had been a while. I started to make my way back down to the ground floor, trying my comms. 

“Skoll.” the link had been spotty after a storm came through the night before and we had been trying to use them sparingly, neither of us liking the white noise that seemed to creep in. Once I reached the ground I tried again. “Skoll? Confirm radio contact. Over”

Nothing. I wasn’t going to panic, maybe she had decided to take a nap too. She could have turned her radio down, her hearing was more sensitive than mine and she could hear the static even when the line wasn’t open. If she’d turned it down enough she might not hear me hailing her. I decided to head back to our little base of operations but before I made it halfway the control tower building caught my attention. I knew that’s where Elena had planned to search today, maybe there was more ground to cover than she’d expected in there and needed a hand. If there was another subterranean level she might not be getting communications at all. I touched the door, it hadn’t been marked as a cleared building which meant she was still inside. 

“Skoll? Confirm radio contact. Over.” Still nothing. I had a bad feeling creeping up my spine but I told myself it was ok. We hadn’t seen any signs that there were other people here with us, she probably just went down a tunnel or stumbled on a room that’s a faraday cage or fell off a cliff and died. That’s it Fin, think positive. I crept up the stairs, checking the structure one floor at a time and checking the radio as I went. At the very least I hoped I would get feedback from her radio being close if a part of the building had fallen on her head and knocked her out. By the third flight of stairs, I’d stopped trying to be quiet and was yelling over the radio, hoping that if her radio was out that she would hear me. My voice echoed off the walls, the only answer it seemed I would be getting and I lectured myself for giving away my position if there was a third party lurking. The top floor was as empty as the rest and at least fifteen degrees warmer thanks to the windows. The view would have been something I would have taken the time to savor in another situation but at the moment I was just worried about what I wasn’t seeing. I tried the radio again, going back to my normal tone instead of yelling. I wanted to yell but my voice was starting to have a raspy edge and I didn’t want to push it. 

“Skoll” I whispered. I heard static and what sounded like a voice nearby. I held the line open and listened, I could pick up the sound of static coming from somewhere in the room and I moved toward it. As I walked through the area the static became the squeal of feedback, I searched the room but didn’t see Elena. I got on my knees and started to crawl toward the sound, I found her radio under a chair. Shit. 

I stayed low, looking under the remaining furniture and seeing no sign of a struggle, no overturned furniture, no blood. If she’d fought there would have been blood, Elena wasn’t shy about defending herself, what I did see was a discoloration in the low industrial carpet. At first, I thought it was just an anomaly in the fibers, years of a leaking ceiling, but I saw another spot and another. I reached out and touched the one closest to me, it was cold and wet. Looking up there weren’t corresponding signs of leaks in the ceiling and I realized the stains were in even intervals. I put my foot on the first and stretched my other leg to the second. Footprints. Whoever had let them must have still had ice on their boots when they’d walked through, ice that melted off in the sun-warmed room. They had a longer gait than me and it wasn’t easy to step from one to the other, Elena being shorter than me it ruled out the possibility of them being hers. I followed the prints to where they disappeared into a wall on the opposite side of the room from where I’d entered, it looked like a solid wall from the middle of the room but when I got close I could see the seam between the panels was wider than the rest of the corners. I felt along the edges and found the hinge, on the other side there was a latch that was closed but seemed easy enough to open. With nowhere else to look I took out a small throwing knife and flipped up the latch easily enough. Sheathing the knife and pulling the Smith & Wesson .380 out of its ankle holster I stepped back and pried the door open with my boot, waiting for the owner of the long-legged gait to be waiting to ambush me. Nothing, just a dark tunnel leading down. I stepped to the side, letting the sun illuminate the first few steps and didn’t see any reason not to follow them. Taking a deep breath to calm myself I turned on the light attached to my pistol sights and stepped forward. My foot settled on the first step and everything around me erupted in sound and light. Shit.


	3. Restless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Fin searches for her missing partner, Elena is reunited with someone from her past.

**[Elena - 18:00 May 4, 2011 - ???]**

A thunderous roar echoed from somewhere above and everything shook, something metallic rattled beside me. I tried to open my eyes to see what it was but my lids felt heavy, my arms felt tender and when I tried to bend at the elbow to test the pain and found myself bound. The air smelled like a hospital, the odor of antiseptic and too much bleach flooding my nose. Voices came from behind me, deep and male, I tried to keep still hoping they would think my movement was unintentional as I recalled being dosed. Shit. I slowed my breathing and concentrated on the voices. 

__ ~~_ Everything looks normal. Why does he think that she will be different from others? _ ~~

“все выглядит нормально. Почему он думает, что он будет отличаться от других?” The first voice asked. I didn’t know who the ‘he’ was that they were talking about but I had sneaking suspicion I was the ‘she’ and was wondering what exactly looked ‘normal’.

__ ~~_ We conducted every test that we have access to, Demetri. The technology here is, at best, primitive. X-ray, blood, everything is fine. She does not even have a tracker! _ ~~

“Мы проводили каждый тест, к которому у нас есть доступ, Деметри. Технология здесь в лучшем случае примитивна. Рентгенограмма, кровь, все нормально. У нее даже нет 

~~_ We are sure that she belongs to SHIELD? _ ~~

трекера! Мы уверены, что она принадлежит SHIELD?”

~~_ He has no reason to lie to us. If he says that she is, then she is. Who knows why the animal became infatuated with her, his brain is an omelet If this is what orders are, then we do it. _ ~~

“У него нет причин врать нам. Если он скажет, что это она, то она есть. Кто знает, почему животное влюбилось в нее, его мозг - омлет. Если это то, что заказы, то мы 

~~_ do it. without questions. Understood? _ ~~

делаем это без вопросов. понял? ”

_ ~~Understood.~~ _

“Понят.”

I ran through the list of tests they’d mentioned. Bloodwork, radiographs, CT scan. None of those would show anything unusual. It took specialized equipment to pick up my abnormality, equipment they didn’t seem to have. Good. Now I just needed to figure out why I was here and who this mysterious ‘he’ was that told them they needed me. The fact that they were chatting casually and didn’t seem to have any sense of urgency had me worried, either we weren’t in Franz Josef land anymore or they weren’t concerned about Fin coming after me. They may not realize she was with me, I was alone when I was taken, but if they had been watching us from the start they would have seen her. Did they have her too? Had they done something to remove her from the equation entirely? I resisted the urge to bang my head against the metal gurney. Stupid, stupid. We were so stupid, we shouldn't have split up. 

~~_ We can only hope the asset shows interest in this one like we were promised. Being able to duplicate his enhancements through genetics is still just a theory I'm excited to test it.  _ ~~

“мы можем только надеяться, что актив проявит интерес к этому, как мы и обещали. Возможность дублировать свои улучшения с помощью генетики - это еще одна теория, я 

очень рад испытать ее.” The one called Demetri continued. 

_ ~~How do we know the experiments didn't render him impotent? Then what?~~ _

“как мы знаем, что эксперименты не сделали его импотентом? И что?” the other man’s voice had none of the excitement of his partner and I wondered why they were working together if they had such opposing views on the matter, whatever the matter was. I also wondered what the hell the asset was and why would it give two shits about me? 

_ ~~Just because he didn't touch the others doesn't mean he can't.~~ _

“просто потому, что он не прикасался к другим, это не значит, что он не может.”

“Hello. Pretty lady.” The Russians addressed me when they realized I was awake. The one that I assumed was Demetri spoke in thickly accented english, it almost sounded like his tongue was too heavy for the language and he might choke on it. A girl could hope. When I didn’t answer the other man grumbled something under his breath. “Come, Alexi, pretty lady is American. We speak American to her. Yes?”

“Блять. Нет.” he responded as he spat in my direction. A real charmer that Alexi. 

“Why am I here?” I asked calmly. They hadn’t hurt me, not really, and based on their conversation I wasn’t sure they planned to. They needed me and keeping me complacent would make their jobs easier. 

“We have friend, old friend. Friend you know.”

Friend, Fin? No, he said an old friend. I didn’t have any old friends that would be associated with Russians...not that I could think of anyway. For some reason, I didn't think we traveled in the same social circles. 

“Friend?” I asked Demetri sweetly, ignoring Alexi’s scowl. 

“Yes!” he seemed excited that I was engaging and not fighting, maybe I would be able to catch him off guard if I was left alone with him. “Good friend. Miss you very much. Sometimes, he speaks of you in dreams.”

“He?” I hadn’t meant to ask that question out loud but it was done. Demetri smiled again and I noticed that he kept looking down at me instead of making eye contact, at first I thought it was some level of shyness but his body language wasn’t passive. I shifted my gaze and realized I was in my underwear, not even nice lace matching underwear like damsels in distress always conveniently have in movies and TV so they can sexily flee in slow motion. Nope, just a white sports bra and black boy shorts that I was fairly certain had a hole in the side seam. This day just got better and better! 

“Yes! He will be glad. You will wait for him here.” Demetri rolled the chair I was strapped to toward a 10x10 cinderblock room. The wall between me and the room consisted of iron bars from floor to ceiling and it reminded my of a jail cell from an old western, minus the convenient escape window. He pushed the chair through the cell door, only unbinding my hands once the door was closed.

__ ~~_ Stand against the opposite wall. Now. _ ~~

“Стойте напротив противоположной стены. Теперь.” Alexi ordered gesturing to the wall in question. I stood where i was, head cocked to one side.

“Alexi, American!”

__ ~~_ Don’t pretend you can’t understand. Move now. _ ~~

“Не притворяйся, что не понимаешь. Двигайся сейчас.” He pointed again and I mimicked the motion with me arms, making an ‘oh, i see what you want’ expression and hoping that at least Demetri thought i was a silly American that couldn’t be bothered with other languages. Once i was against the wall I realized it wasn’t block. Two walls of my cage were stone, one bars and this one a sheet of metal. The barred door opened again and the chair was removed. Once it was closed, and locked, I walked to the small cot and sat. The room smelled like it hadn’t been used in some time. No odor, human or otherwise lingered on the fabric of the cot or the porous surface of the stone around me.

“You wait. We bring friend to you!” 

Didn’t have much of a choice now, did I.

  
  


**[Fin - 19.46 May 4, 2011 - FRANZ JOSEF LAND]**

My whole body hurt and the last thing I remembered was the air traffic control tower throwing me out of a window with the help of a concussive blast that I assume came from a claymore rigged to go when I stepped into the stairwell. I didn’t move but I opened my eyes, I’d landed flat on my back and from my position I could see that none of the windows in the tower had survived the blast. I made myself move and felt a wave of vertigo as i sat up. At first i thought I’d hit my head too hard and a concussion was to blame for the unsteady ground beneath me but as I looked I found myself on a thick layer of ice. I moved slowly, taking inventory of my injuries. I felt like my whole body was a bruise, my front from the blast and the back from my landing, but nothing seemed to be broken. There were a few cuts and scrapes where i’d been thrown through the glass but they would heal easily enough, the ends of my hair looked singed but only about an inch or so seemed damaged. Call me vain but i was more relieved my hair had survived the blast than i should have been. I was shivering and unsure how long i’d been lying unconscious on the ice, My .380 was gone and i swore at my stupidity. The rest of the gear i was carrying was there and seemed to be intact although with Elena’s com on the floor of the tower our short term radios didn’t do much. I wasn’t rash enough to think i could handle this situation myself, I needed to get back to our little shack and hope that whoever had taken Elena hadn’t found our stash of supplies, especially since it had our only long distance radio. I shook my head, i couldn’t think that far ahead yet, the radio being gone was pointless to think about. If i wasn’t able to get back up to the base it wouldn’t matter. I looked up again at the wall of rock and ice, straight ahead was a sheer cliff face but to my left was a low grade incline created by a small glacier. That was probably my best bet but I looked to my left hopefully, i laughed at what I saw. There wasn’t a miracle staircase or elevator or snowmobile but there was a metal door sunk into the overhang. Looking higher I could see the top of the lighthouse not far off. Well at least that’s one question answered. 

Walking gingerly across the ice I made it to the edge, a strip of water separated me from the slick glacial incline and i knew swimming across wasn’t going to be an option if I wanted to feel my hands to climb. I swore at myself again, we had ice climbing gear with us but i hadn’t had it on me to search the buildings, a lot of good it was doing me right now. Thankfully my boots did have a small cleat in the toe, walking on icy terrain was a given here, as for hand holds I was going to have to improvise. I searched my pockets and found chemical heat packs, a couple of adrenaline shots, a pack of gum, a marker. I sighed, MacGyver I was not. I took one of the adrenaline pens and slammed it into my leg, deploying the chemicals into my bloodstream. My heart sped up, pumping blood faster through my veins and warming me enough to steady my hands. I put the used cartridge in my pocket along with my gloves before pulling my best knife from its place on my hip, gripping the hilt tightly. 

“I’m really sorry about this.” I whispered to it, visions of it shattering flashed across my mind as I took a deep breath. I didn’t run for it, there wasn’t a point trying to gain momentum on ice and Coulson had always told me not to run with knives. He never said anything about jumping but I was sure wherever he was his parent senses were tingling. I jumped as hard as I could manage, hoping it would be enough to clear the water. As I got closer my brain caught up to the plan and wondered if the knife would be strong enough to pierce the ice, it was too late now. I landed on the glassy surface and started to slide, I struggled to get my feet at an angle for the cleats to gain purchase and the knife hadn’t pierced the surface when I’d hit. I tried to stab with one hand as I slid, the other searching for anything to grab as I plummeted toward the water. Finally my boots found traction and my descension slowed. I laid against the ice, breathing for a moment and looking at the knife. “You know I really thought that would work...movies make it look so easy.”

I put the knife away and put my gloves back on before taking out two smaller symmetrical blades with longer tangs for balance. They were made to throw but the thin leaf shaped blades might be easier to push into the ice compared to the larger blade. These didn’t have a guard and while wearing the gloves may sacrifice some grip, so would slicing off a finger. Taking the first blade into my hand I stabbed it straight down into the ice, it penetrated enough to hold. I repeated the action with the second, making sure they would hold me before daring to lift a boot to climb.

  
  


**[Elena - 20:49 May 4, 2011 - ???]**

It didn’t seem like a very long time before the men came back, Alexi entered first and seemed more stressed than he had when he’d left, it that was possible. He grumbled something about me still being awake as he held the door. From my vantage point I couldn't see everything that was happening outside the cell but i could hear at least three sets of footsteps. The sound of a cell door opening made me glance at the entrance to my cage subconsciously before I realized there must be another adjacent to mine. Demetri stepped in front of the open bars, standing where he could be seen from both cells. 

“I will say in American because i am knowing you both understand.” He looked away from me, toward my fellow captive. “You will not kill her. She is not a target.”

“Да” A low male voice responded in russian before Demetri turned to me. 

“He will not kill you, but if you fight him I cannot promise he will not hurt you. You are both here for a purpose, he knows this purpose and he has orders to comply. We can give you no such order but i can ask that you do not fight him. It will only end badly for you.” 

I didn’t answer but I nodded at the super reassuring statements being thrown around. I wouldn’t fight unless he hurt me so it seems the other captive and i were at an impasse. The metal wall separating the cells began to sink into the wall, merging the two spaces into one. Over the screeching of metal on stone i heard someone speak. I thought they said ‘Я не хочу этого делать’. _ I don’t want to do this.  _ I looked to see who may have spoken but Demetri and Alexi had decided to leave at some point, i stood and waited for the person in the other cell to make a move but nothing happened. I looked over and saw a man sitting on a cot, the twin to the one in my cell. His arms were crossed over his chest and his shoulder length black hair fell in a curtain, obscuring his face. His shoulders rose and fell with every breath but he didn’t move. I took another step toward him, making sure to stay on my side of the invisible divide as i did in case me coming into his personal space would start a problem i wasn’t prepared to handle. As i edged toward him, trying to get a better look, i noticed something both strange and familiar. 

_ ‘An old friend. He misses you. He speaks of you in dreams.’  _

“James?” I almost couldn’t get the word out. It wasn't possible. I’d been looking for him for years without a single lead and now some random Russians dump me into his lap? It couldn’t be him. I smelled the air between us and realized my eyes weren’t deceiving me. The man’s shoulders tensed and he turned his face towards me for the first time since the partition had been moved. His blue eyes met mine. 

__ ~~_ Who is James? _ ~~

“кто же Джеймс?” He responded, brows furrowed. I looked to make sure our captors were gone before I responded in russian. 

_ ~~I thought...I thought, he was you.~~ _

“Я думал ... Я думал, что он ты.” 

“Это не мое имя.” He said flatly before looking away. ‘ _ That is not my name _ .’ The response squeezed my chest, if he couldn’t remember himself how would he remember me?

_ No? _

“нет?” I asked gently, remembering that James hadn’t been the first name he’d given me all those years ago. 

“нет.” He denied, his hands moved to clench the edge of the cot.

“Yasha?” I tried. He looked back at my face, his eyes narrowing. 

_ ~~I know you.~~ _

“я знаю тебя.” He said it quietly, his eyes narrowed. I heard it, and even though he seemed uncertain, I felt my heart was going to burst in my chest. He recognized me, on some level at least. 

“да.” I encouraged, stepping closer. He stood and turned to me, I'd forgotten how tall he was and he seemed more imposing now that he was off the bed. He moved, reaching for the bottom of his shirt as he started to remove it. The conversation I've overheard earlier flashed in my mind. Before I could ask what he was doing or protest he held his hand out to me, white cotton tee shirt crumpled in his fist. I looked at it and back at him, dumbfounded. 

~~_ You must be cold. You are practically naked. Where are you clothes? _ ~~

“Тебе должно быть холодно. Ты практически голый. Где ты одеваешься?” I took the shirt from him and even though it was a shallow thought i cursed my lack of cute matching undergarments for the second time that day. 

__ ~~_ They took them. _ ~~

“Они взяли их.” I said, answering his question about my clothes as I pulled the tee shirt over my head. 

__ ~~_ You let them? _ ~~

“вы позволили им?” He asked. 

“Of course I didn't LET them.” It came out so fast I hadn't realized I'd switched to english until he answered me in kind. 

“If you didn’t let them, how?”

“They took them while I was unconscious. They drugged me.”

“Why?” He asked. I started to respond but he stopped me to clarify. “Why did they bring you here?”

“Because you know me.” I shrugged. It was as good a reason as any. 

“Do you know why they put you in here with me?” he asked, an edge to his voice. I shook my head, I had some context clues to go on but I wasn't sure. 

“This is a breeding program.” he spat the phrase and looked away from me as he sat back onto the cot. 

“They’ve done this before?”

“Yes, with other women, ones I do not know. Some screamed, some cried, even though I didn’t touch them. Others...they wanted to be here. I had to find ways to keep them from touching me. They try to make me forget but when they put me in this room, I know.” He paused before shouting out toward the corridor beyond. “They know I refuse to be part of this!”

“Why would they think it would be any different with me? If they made it so you can’t remember me?”

“Because they can use you against me...I don’t remember why...but I know that I don’t want them to hurt you and that gives them something they didn’t have before.”

“What?”

“Something to take away from me.”

  
  


**[Fin - 23:19 May 4, 2011 - FRANZ JOSEF LAND]**

By the time I made it back to the shack I was actually happy to see it, pulling myself into the small room I locked the door behind me. I uncovered the crate where we’d put the supplies we hadn’t been carrying, exhaling when I saw it was all still there. I packed the climbing hooks and rope into a pack along with some MRE’s before pulling out the radio. I wasn’t sure how long range the speech transmissions were but it didn’t matter. I opened the panel to send morse code, I needed a team quickly and I knew which agent was the closest to our current location. I also knew that he always had the code line open because, contrary to what he claimed, he didn’t fully trust newer technology. I closed my eyes and tapped out a single word. 

‘-.-. .... . . ... . .-.-.-’

(Cheese)

I waited a full minute for response before sending it again, repeating the process. I only had to do it twice before I got a response. 

‘--. --- / .... .- -- .-.-.-’

(Go Ham)

‘... -.- --- .-.. .-.. / - .- -.- . -. .-.-.- / .-.. --- --- -.- .. -. --. .-.-.- / .... . .-.. .--. .-.-.- / . ...- .- -.-. .-.-.-’ 

(Skoll taken. Looking. Help. Evac.)

‘.-. --. .-. .-.-.- / --- -- .-- .-.-.-’

(Rgr. OMW)

I exhaled a breath i didn’t know i’d been holding. Just knowing that i had evac on the way was a weight off my shoulders, if i hadn’t found Elena by the time they arrived I would have help finding her. I climbed into one of the empty crates and closed the lid above me, hoping it would be enough to conceal me if anyone came looking. I doubted they knew i’d survived the explosion but didn’t want to take chances. I wasn’t sure how much sleep i would get, my mind racing through the possibilities regarding Elena but after the explosion, the fall and the climb i needed time to recover or i would be useless in short order. I made myself eat and close my eyes, in the small space the heat from the MRE pack alone was enough to keep warm. I cracked an eye open, looking at the still steaming pack as an idea formed. I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea or if i only thought it was because of the possible head trauma. I thought about it more while i tried to sleep, eventually i made up my mind and crawled out of the crate, using the radio to send one more message with details about where to rendezvous before forcing myself to rest.

  
  


**[Elena - 00:01 May 5, 2011 - FRANZ JOSEF LAND]**

_ The night we met - Lord Huron _

I sat on the cot, suddenly exhausted as my brain tried to figure out what was going on. Maybe i had fallen asleep up in the control tower and this was a dream? Or the russians were real and I had been drugged and this was all in my head. James sat on the cot beside me and the thin mattress sank under his weight...it didn’t seem like it was my imagination. I pinched my own arm and it hurt. Yep. This was real, which brought up a whole new round of questions. For starters, why were Fin and i sent on a mission to check out the area with no indication what we might find? If they didn’t know there were forces here then why were we sent in the first place? I wanted to believe it was a coincidence but Coulson always said there was no such thing. The only reason I could think of was that we were sent was so these people could get me. That one of the people holding James knew about me and planned to use me against him. Which also meant someone who knew they wanted me specifically somehow got SHIELD to deliver me on a silver platter. It was the only thing that i could make into a reasonable explanation that didn’t need statistical anomalies to be possible. I wondered again if they’d taken Fin too, if they had her tossed in a cage with a russian as well. If they had it was more likely we were randomly chosen to be sent because we were women and not because i’d met James before, but if they had only taken me...then someone at SHIELD had connections with these people. 

“Who are those people?” I asked, hoping he would know something. He shrugged. Great! “You don’t know who they are? Who they are working for? What organization they might be part of?”

“They are Russian and they don’t tell me things. As far as I know they are part of the same organization as you.”

“What?” I balked. He nodded towards the table outside the cell where my tac vest had been left, the SHIELD insignia clear on the chest. “They aren’t part of SHIELD.” I clarified.

“I have seen a man here before, he had that symbol on him too.” he said flatly, looking straight ahead as he spoke. “How do I know you aren’t with them?”

“I’m not! I mean, I am part of SHIELD. Whoever you saw here with that symbol was not…”i heard the doubt in my own voice. ”If he is SHIELD he is working for these people too.”

“An enemy inside your ranks. That would explain how they got you here.”

“Seems like it. I just wish I knew who the hell it was.”

“I can’t tell you that. It was bald man...he was weak and afraid.”

“I know, I didn't expect you to be able to know...” I exhaled. This was getting more complicated by the second and I could only hope that Fin was still free and calling for reinforcements, preferably ones that didn't work for the russians. “why do you say he was afraid?”

“He wouldn’t look at me. He spoke like I wasn't in the room even though he spoke of me…” He looked at me for a moment before turning away to ask, “Can you tell me something?” 

“I can try.” I nodded. 

“Why? Why do I care what they do to you. I don’t even know who you are but I know that when I picture them touching you...” his hands clenched on the edge of the cot again but this time I heard the metal frame groan in his fist. 

“Do you remember any of it? Anything about me?” I leaned forward to look at his face, he closed his eyes and shook his head.

“No. They won’t let me.”

“Do they let you remember anything?”

“They let me remember how to do my job. And that I work for them.”

“That’s it? You don’t remember anything about who you are?”

“I’m the asset. The winter soldier. I’m a weapon and them putting me in this cell is not what I was made to do. They know it.”

“When I met you, you didn’t want to be a weapon. You were hiding from the people that used you.”

“I should not have done that. Defying an order is unacceptable.”

“They put you in here to fuck me and you seem to be going against that order quite well.”

He twitched at the harsh language but i was tired of beating around the bush. I wanted to be gentle about it, I really did. I knew they had done something to him but i was having trouble keeping my patience in my current situation. 

“That order is not part of my prime directive. It’s not part of my training.” He spoke through gritted teeth. “I was trained not to form attachments.”

My brain remembered a file I'd read, written by and agent with inside information about a russian program called the ‘Red Room’. I recalled that the red room chemically sterilized the women that went through the program to prevent them from accidentally getting pregnant. A child was the one thing the training couldn’t prevent the women from creating an emotional bond with. I’d read most of the files on the red room after I'd joined shield, it seemed like a good place to start in my search for my mystery russian assassin and I hadn't ever read that the men received the same treatment. 

“Is this part of the red room program?” I asked aloud, not expecting an answer. 

“If it is, it’s different than before.”

“What?” 

“I know that program. I was part of it and when i excelled I trained others like me. This is not the same as before...but it’s reasonable that they are the same.” his head cocked to the side as he finished the sentence, as though the thought caused his brain to unbalance. 

“The red room is an assassin program, they start with kids so it would make sense to try to make their own.” I hadn't meant to keep thinking out loud but the silence in the cell was unnerving. “They would have to bring in outside women for several reasons…”

“What reasons?”

“Well for starters as far as i know the women in the program couldn’t have kids if they wanted too. I would imagine that they wouldn’t want any...long term co-mingling between assets since they discourage emotional bonds.”

“They do. But they still brought me you.” 

That caught me off guard, bringing in strangers part of my theory was shaky when it came to bringing me in and my mind circled back to the coincidence theory before brushing it off. Maybe he was an exception since past efforts had failed. 

“Maybe they thought you would follow orders if they brought you someone you…” My voice trailed off and i felt the heat in my cheeks.

“I what?” he asked, his face still very serious. 

“Someone you...have already shown interest in.” I answered awkwardly. 

“I did?” He shook his head. “I did.” He repeated to himself, sounding more sure of the answer. I didn’t know what to say, how do you tell someone who doesn’t know you that you had a relationship once...even if it was a short one. He turned to me, looking at me fully for the first time.

“Can you tell me?” he asked, his face still stoic but his eyes were sad and i realized how maddening it must be to not remember your own life.

“How much do you want to know?”

“Everything.”

  
  


**[Fin - 06:32 May 5, 2011 - FRANZ JOSEF LAND]**

_ Restless - Switchfoot _

Hours had passed and I couldn’t make myself rest any longer. I got up, ate again and packed what I could easily carry as I set my crazy idea into motion. Within the hour I was heading back to the top of the control tower. After my previous experience, it was the last place I wanted to be but it was the only lead i had. 

It was cold at the top, without the windows a layer of snow had covered the previously well preserved furniture. I looked across the floor, no tracks in the snow which meant i was the last person to walk through and that whoever had rigged the bomb had to have another way in and out. I took my 9mm in both hands, i didn’t like it as much as the .380, the grip was larger and less comfortable, but it was better than nothing. I stepped toward the doorway, holding my breath. I took another step, and another, once completely in the shadow of the door i exhaled, thankful there wasn’t another quick trip to sea level this time. I lowered the night vision glasses to my face, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the green tinted stairwell, thankful that i’d been prepared this go round. I took the steps one at a time, keeping my back to the wall they curved around as i descended. Once I reached the bottom I found myself in a narrow concrete hall, I stopped and listened. Nothing. I put my firearm back in it’s holster on my hip, if i only ran into one person i wouldn’t need it and the sound of gunshots down here would draw more attention than i wanted. I tried the first door in the hall, it was unlocked but empty save a few tables and chairs, i closed it behind me and moved to the next. Every room on the right side of the hall was abandoned, after checking the first two on the left I expected more of the same but the third broke the pattern. 

I was starting to get complacent by the time I reached the ninth door but reminded myself of the last time I had opened a door too quickly. When i reached to turn the knob I noticed that unlike the others, this one wasn’t latched and I pushed it slowly with the toe of my boot. For the most part the room looked like all the others, if you didn’t notice the wall to wall window opposite the door that was. A man stood facing the window, his back to me and i jumped when a voice called out in the dim room. 

~~_ What are you doing? _ ~~

“что вы делаете?” The man in front of me took a walkie from his belt and answered in a humored tone.

_ I ~~am working. Asshole. What are you doing?~~ _

“Я работаю. Мудак. Что делаешь”

__ ~~_ You’re working? Up in your warm room watching the rest of us to all the real work? _ ~~

“за работой? В этой теплой комнате, наблюдая за нами, все здесь тяжело работают?”

~~_ Someone has to make sure you don’t slack off. _ ~~

“кто-то должен убедиться, что вы не расслабляетесь.”

~~_ Yes Yes. I'm sure that's what you do. Do not let me bother you, I'm sure you have a nap to take. _ ~~

“да, да. я уверен, что это то, что вы делаете. Не позволяйте мне беспокоить вас, я уверен, что у вас вздремнуть.” The voice on the other end chuckled.

~~_ Of course. Now get off the line. _ ~~

“конечно. Теперь сойдите с линии.” The man in front of me ordered with a laugh before putting the radio back in its clip.

I walked closer to him, placing my feet heel to toe on the tile, not making a sound as I pulled a small push knife from my belt. When I was within reach I took one last giant step and wrapped my free hand over his mouth as I pushed the blade into the base of his skull. I caught him as his body went slack and lowered him into a nearby chair. I rolled it into the spot he’d been standing, hoping that if anyone glanced in they would assume he was, in fact, taking that nap. I took his walkie and set it to my wireless earpiece before clipping it my own belt. If someone sounded an alarm, I would want to know about it as soon as possible, especially with my only known escape route getting further behind me with every step. 

I walked to the far shadowed corner and looked out the window, not knowing whether it was two-way glass or not. At first glance what i saw below me was a large airplane hangar, but instead of planes it had what seemed to be a hundred cold war era GAZ 69s parked in rows. With a second look i counted maybe 80 and only twenty seemed to be in running order. People wandered between the trucks with purpose, although what i couldn't determine. I took one last look, trying to memorize the layout of the room below should i find myself in it, before letting myself back into the hallway. I cleared the remaining rooms in the hall without incident, when i reached for the last door in the hall i stopped to think. Best case scenario i kept clearing empty hallways until the only thing left was the hanger, where i would be exposed and gunned down. Worst case, i open the wrong door and get outnumber and taken...If whoever these people were got ahold of me AND Elena...it would be bad. I leaned my head against the cool door, hand on the knob as i listened to the muffled voices on the other side. I couldn’t make them out but they were there. The static on my stolen radio flared and i made the logical choice instead of the emotional one. 

I silently asked Elena to forgive me and hoped that wherever she was, she was alright, as I made my way back out of the tower. 

  
  


**[Elena - 08:01 May 5, 2011 - FRANZ JOSEF LAND]**

The passage of time in the cage was as unmarked as the nightless expanse on the surface. If my captors hadn’t left my watch I can’t say i would have noticed more than a blink had gone by since they opened the wall to reveal my companion. I had managed to sort out that we were still on the archipelago, based on how long I estimated I was unconscious, however I hadn’t been able to figure out where Fin might be. I knew she wasn't in here with me and that was a start. I felt movement on the mattress beside me and I looked down at the cot. James had fallen asleep. Good. He’d been pacing while i tried to refresh his memory and it hadn’t stopped when i’d finished. The first time i'd dozed in the cell i had been watching him stalk from one side to the other, the smooth predatory gate hypnotising me into a reluctant sleep. Now it seemed while i lost myself in thoughts of escape, he gave up the fight to stay awake.

His body twitched again, the muscles in his right arm flexing as his hand clenched and unclenched. I shifted my weight, not knowing whether to move closer to comfort him or to give him space. I didn’t have to decide, my movement had been too much and he bolted upright. 

“Hey, hey...it’s alright.” I rested my hand on his back and he tensed before my words registered and his shoulders relaxed. He shot a sidelong glance in my direction and I raised my eyebrows at him in response. “What?”

“I was running away from you.” He mumbled, running his hands through his tousled hair. 

“From me?” I didn’t know why he would be running from me, of all things. “You’re afraid of little old me?” I teased. He shook his head. 

“Не боюсь. Not afraid of. Afraid for. I was running because it was safer for you.”

“So you do remember.” it wasn’t a question. I hadn’t realized it when it happened, I assumed he was taken or worse, but after time had passed, I had a few theories about why he left me in Africa, protecting me was high on the list. Chivalrous bastard. 

“No. I don’t. I can’t.” He looked at me, anger and sadness warring over his features. 

“You can do it again. Run away.” I paused, waiting for a response, but when none seemed to be coming i continued. “You could come with me this time...instead of running the opposite direction.”

“No.” He seemed genuinely appalled at the idea. 

“No? You want to stay here, locked in a cage to stud?” 

“No.” He growled.

“Then why not come with me?”

“I can’t. I have my mission.”

“Your mission.” I rolled my eyes. “What mission? Keeping me company until we both die of boredom? Talking until you finally give in to your ‘orders’ to fuck me? Which mission are you on right now, in this cage?”

“I’m not programed to obey every whim they might have for me. I am a soldier, and my orders are to return to my command when we are done here.”

“And when might that be?” I stood, not holding back the crack of emotion in the question.

“Usually not long...when they see I won’t do as they ask.” He didn’t look at me when he answered. I stepped in front of him. 

“What then? You don’t do as they ask and I'm useless to them. Do you think they will just let me leave? You think if you don’t touch me that after a few days they will just open this door, hand me my clothes and say ‘oh, our apologies miss, please be on your way.’?”

“No.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think so either. The only way i live through this is if you help me get out…either that or we have sex and I die your concubine. As fun as that could be i’m really not keen on this specific situation.” He was staring at me and I realized my mouth had continued to talk past where I had intended to end my sentence. His eyes went wide and I felt my face grow hot as i mentally tried to shoved the words back into my mouth. If Fin was still alive I was 100% holding her responsible for poking holes in my brain to mouth filter. 

Before i could think of anything else to regret saying he started to pace again. He stopped as abruptly as he started, his head tilting to the side. I listened. There was movement in the hall. I moved to stand beside him, if our time was up already i wasn’t letting them take him from me. Not this time. 

The door opened and Alexi walked in, looking as thrilled to be here as i was to see him. He carried a metal tray and the smell of something delicious wafted in the air. I couldn’t remember the last time i’d eaten and the aroma was making my mouth water. I sniffed at the air. Warm bread, chicken broth, cabbage. I wrinkled my nose. Of course it would be borsch. Alexi set the tray on the table in the middle of the room and pointed his firearm at us. My mind daydreamed what it would be like to rip the kalashnikoff out of his hands as we backed away from the grate. He slid two styrofoam plates through the bars, watching us as he moved. He didn’t say anything else, no demands, no curses. He left the food and walked out, muttering to himself as he closed the door behind him. James bent down and handed me one of the plates. I was half right, at some point this meal had been borsch, that was before the broth had been strained and the remains were sloppily dumped into a halved loaf of hard bread. Based on the mushiness of the interior I assumed it was in broth not long before it was given to us and I decided they most likely hadn’t wanted to provide us with utensils...or scalding hot broth for that matter. I ate, trying not to make a face and the beet and cabbage texture, i needed the sustenance.

“If I did what they wanted they would not let you live.” I almost thought I'd imagined he was talking, since he hadn’t looked up from his half eaten bread. I didn’t have a response for him. “If I. If we complied. They would not kill you. You are right. But they wouldn’t let you live.”

“So you’ll escape with me?” 

“No. But I will make sure you get out.” 

**[Fin - 15:33 May 6, 2011 - FRANZ JOSEF LAND]**

It had been about 48 hours since my last contact with Elena and the silence of Franz Josef Land was driving me mad. At first the sounds of the wind and the crashing waves were relaxing but after two days of nothing but i’d started to imagine i could hear the snowflakes landing out of desperation for anything new. I’d caught myself talking out loud a couple of times, only to chastise myself in the same manner for doing so. I wasn’t good with my own thoughts, not with so much space to move and so many options for action. Lock me in a box, alone in the dark, i could survive for weeks with my own imagination but here...here i couldn’t let my mind wander to a happy place. I couldn’t let it relax, i had to remain vigilant and alert. I had to make a plan, i had to find Elena, i had to...i had to do something other than listen to the sound of my own voice echoing off the subterranean stone walls. I packed, unpacked and repacked my gear, hoping that this time i would see something that would help me, something that would tell me what to do. So far there wasn’t a miracle or a nuclear warhead in there and i was really starting to question our priorities. I closed my eyes and exhaled, sitting here feeling sorry for myself wasn’t helping anything but i still didn’t have a plan.

I couldn’t take out an entire military base alone, I wasn’t suicidal. The man I’d killed before taking his walkie had to have been found by now, which meant my chances of getting in undetected were even slimmer now. Stupid Fin, at least if you’d gone in before you would have had the element of surprise.

Although...if they found him, then they knew i took the radio, which means they knew that I knew that they were on high alert. Theoretically they would be the most surprised if I showed up now, because it would be a bad plan on my part. A very bad plan...one might say a surprisingly bad plan.


	4. So Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena realizes that she can't just wait for her fate to be decided and Fin reunites with her partner.

**[Elena - 07:56 May 6, 2011 - FRANZ JOSEF LAND]**

_ Bodies - Drowning Pool _

James sat on the edge of the cot, it was his turn to watch me pace. As much as I didn't particularly enjoy borsch I found myself looking forward to another mush sandwich. Twenty four hours had passed since Alexi had brought food and my high metabolism was aching. It wasn’t the only reason I was high strung, I needed to get out of here. The shock of seeing James again had distracted me at first but having to rely on an outside source of food, compounded with the fact that i was literally trapped in a cage, had triggered something in me. Every instinct in my being was screaming ‘get out!’ and I couldn't ignore it anymore. 

I strained to hear beyond the room outside the cage as I looked for my things. I spotted my tac vest but not the rest of my clothes. No weapons, but i didn’t know if that would matter one way or the other. I didn’t know what was outside that door, for all I knew it was a vast expanse of empty halls and once I got past Alexi and Demetri i was home free. More likely i was in the heart of a top secret soviet operation and would be stopped with or without a weapon to defend myself. The door latch clicked. 

~~_ Still? What is it going to take? _ ~~

“Все еще? Что это будет делать?” He pointed the gun at us and I backed away from the bars, I felt James get up from the cot to stand beside me.

~~_That is not my mission_~~

“Это не моя миссия.” James moved to stand in front of me and Alexi looked me up and down, his voice low but humorous.

~~_ You know what, I hope you don’t touch her. You know why? Do you?....Respond, Asset! _ ~~

“Вы знаете, что, надеюсь, вы не тронете ее. Ты знаешь почему? Вы? ... Ответ, Асет!!”

“нет.” James answered with a sneer. Alexi knelt to place the food between the bars as he answered. 

_ ~~Because if you don’t fuck her. I will.~~ _

“Потому что, если ты ее не трахнешь. я буду”

Everything happened at once, so quickly that I barely had time to register what the russian had said. James grabbed Alexi by the collar, pulling his face into the bars with enough force to knock him out, his other hand grabbed this Kalashnikov and wrenched off the man before tossing it into my arms. I fumbled it for a second before my reflexes caught up to the situation and I knelt to find the cage’s keys on our unconscious guard. 

“He won’t have them.” He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me away from the man on the floor.

“What?”

“The keys, he won’t have them on him.”

“Why the fuck not!?” I exclaimed. He gestured to the situation at hand in response. “Right.”

He searched my face, a question behind his eyes as he looked for something. I wished I knew what. He inhaled sharply, turning away from me and slamming his metallic fist into the lock with a growl. I could hear his teeth grinding as he hit it again and again, the metal giving way under his blows on the third strike. He pushed the door open, not bothering to move Alexi first. 

I pushed past him, just being free of the cage helped me breathe. I set down the gun and pulled on my vest before slinging the strap over my shoulder and walking back to Alexi’s body to take anything else he might have on him that could be of use. James grabbed my wrist and pulled me behind the hall door. 

“There is no time for that.” he whispered, his ear pressed to the door. I heard them too. At least five voices in the hall, one asking about our pal Alexi. I looked back, wishing there was at least time to steal his pants. “How are you with that?” he nodded to the firearm in my hands. 

“Proficient.” I knelt, putting the stock to my shoulder and looking at the door. He laid his hand on the door, his other counting down from three...two...one. 

He swung the door open, i fired as soon as I saw the first man and he dropped, two more in my line of sight followed before the rest could unholster. I waited, letting bullets ricochet off the door, inches from my face. When there was a pause in the fire I held my breath until I heard the click of a magazine being released. Leaning forward into the hall I fired a short controlled bursts in the direction of the sound. I heard two bodies fall. James moved into the hall, making sure no one was getting up as we walked past. 

~~_ The asset is loose. I repeat. Asset is _ ~~

“Актив свободен. Я повторяю. Активы -” The snap of bones ended the transmission and i turned to see James holding a man by the neck. He lifted the body, pulling the boots off and tossing them to me. I caught them and pulled them on as we walked down the hall, tightening the laces as much as i could to keep them from falling off. The soldier that had been wearing them was small but they shoes were still at least a size too big for me and they made my gate awkward. He gathered their firearms as we walked, not bothering to hand me more than i could use at once given my lack of pockets. We worked our way down the hall, clearing rooms as we moved. I thought i saw Demetri’s face among the bodies we left behind but i couldn’t be sure...they all started to look the same. That wasn’t quite true, not really, if i tried i could see the features that made them individual people as they fell into pools of their own blood on the tile floor...i chose not to. I chose not to see that the man that blocked us in the hall was a tall man with black hair and green eyes, chose not to hear the one with the soft voice praying in russian as he bled out. I chose getting out over the people in my way and i resigned myself to feel bad about it later. I couldn’t afford to now. 

  
  


**[Fin - 08:43 May 6, 2011 - FRANZ JOSEF LAND]**

This was a dumb plan, a very dumb plan. Every instructor that had trained me to be an agent was screaming inside my head.  _ Wait for backup. Don’t go in the hostile area _ . The thing was, the only senior agent that I actually listened to...his voice was telling me that just because it was a stupid plan, didn’t mean it was a bad one. 

I’d made it as far as the door where I'd stopped on my last venture, only this time I'd found the claymore trap they’d reset on the stairs. I felt the cool metal in my hands as I listened to the voices on the other side of the door. I cracked it open, the hall looked clear. I slid through, looking down the hall to confirm I was alone before turning back to the door. I had to make sure no one could come in behind me and that no one could leave the way i’d come. If i was going to be trapped down here, so would they. 

I moved through the compound silently, my load one claymore lighter that if had been moments ago. I made my way down to the hangar, it still swarmed with people but i managed to get down to the ground level without being seen. From there I had a better view of the room and for the first time I saw a large tunnel on the far end that had to be how the vehicles got in and out. 

Exit strategy. Check. 

I eased myself into the door of the nearest vehicle, ducking below the dashboard. I reached up and yanked the ignition wires. It wasn’t a permanent solution, they were easy enough to reattach, but it would slow them down. I lowered myself out of the truck and moved to the next, and then the next. I didn’t have a plan beyond this and so I continued.

Before i could think ‘8 down 60-something to go’ I heard yelling in the distance. 

~~_ Alexi is down, the asset is free. _ ~~

“Алекси ушла. актив свободен.” 

I didn’t know who Alexi was but i hoped ‘the asset’ was Elena. The hangar cleared, the men rushing a hall on the opposite end of the tunnel. I started to move toward the tunnel, disarming trucks in my path. Gunfire erupted followed by shouting, i looked for higher ground, if Elena was coming this way the least i could do was cover her exit. I spotted a scaffolding near the tunnel. Perfect. I climbed, using the chaos below as a distraction. I saw long blonde hair amidst the sea of soldiers and took aim. Men in the back of the onslaught fell, men in front tried to back away from whatever was before them and tripped over the bodies of the men lying behind. I killed them too. Soon the crowd was cleared enough for the blonde to tear through and confirmed it was my friend. I almost shouted aloud in relief. As i watched a man reached out, grabbing her by her vest and pulling her down. I stood, taking aim at the man when another pulled from the crowd, his fist smashing into the first man’s face before he pulled Elena to her feet. She got back to her feet in a run, not looking back. The man who’d helped her still held her arm as they ran, he steered her toward the tunnel as she laid a suppressing fire behind them. They made it to one of the trucks, the soldiers closing in around them and i was relieved I hadn’t managed to disable all the vehicles. I expended the rest of my magazine, buying them any time i could. When i reached down to reload i realized the truck was moving, and it was moving quickly. If I didn’t move fast i would miss my ride out of here.

  
  


**[Elena - 09:12 May 6, 2011 - FRANZ JOSEF LAND]**

_ So Close - Olafur Arnalds _ __

“Come with me. PLEASE! ПОЖАЛУЙСТА!” He was pushing me into the driver's seat of one of the soviet trucks and i was trying to pull him in behind me. “Please...James. Yasha. Whoever the fuck you are. Please…”

He reached over me, starting the engine. 

“I can’t.”

“Why?” I hadn’t let him go, I hated the desperate sound of my voice and my eyes stung. His gazed searched mine once more and I could see everything I felt reflected in them. 

“That’s not the mission.” He whispered. I still heard it over the din. 

“Fuck their mission! They are actively trying to shoot you right now!” Bullets dug into the side of the truck, emphasising my point. He started to turn toward them but I grabbed his face to keep him looking at me. “Come with me. Make that your mission.”

He didn’t speak.

“If you don’t come with me, i’m coming back for you.” I pleaded.

He reached around me, moving so close I could feel his breath mingling with mine in the space between us. 

“Don’t come back for me...I’m not worth it. I’m sorry.” He whispered. His fingers dug into my hair, crushing my lips against his. When he pulled away he slipped from my grasp and slammed the door between us. I thought he was moving away from me before i realized i was the one moving. An explosion went off in the distance and fire bloomed from a hallway and billowed into the hangar. “GO!”

“No! NO!” I yelled back at him, watching him stalk towards the men pursuing us. I tried to break but it barely slowed my progress, i couldn’t decelerate. He’d jammed one of the guns between the bench seat and the gas pedal and the truck was going with or without me. I yanked at the door handle but it didn’t unlatch, i reached through the window and realized he’d pulverized the mechanism from the outside, jamming it in the lock position. I looked back again, in time to see him throw one man’s lifeless body into four others. 

**BAM!** A loud slam brought my attention to the front of the vehicle. I turned to see Fin crouched on the hood 

“DRIVE!” She shouted, reloading as she crawled over the cab and into the bed of the truck. My brain followed her direction on instinct, steering into the tunnel ahead and up until we breached the surface. I looked over my shoulder at Fin and saw the building’s we’d been clearing were further behind than I would have imagined. No wonder we hadn’t found this part of the base yet. 

“Are they still following us!?” I shouted back to her. She shot me a glare. “Sorry! Stupid question. More relevant question. Where the hell am i taking us?”

“Away from here! Just drive as far as we can, we need to put distance between us and them.”

“And after that?”

“I have a plan...I think.” 

“Does your plan cover the fact that we’re going to run out of land to drive on...sooner rather than later!?” I maneuvered the truck to drive the length of the icy road under us but eventually it would end. There was only so far we could run. 

“Pretty much.”

“Pretty much? Fin, what the fuck does ‘pretty much’ mean?”

“It means I've taken the facts into consideration.”

“Why is that not reassuring?”

“Don’t you trust me!?” Her voice shook and I told myself it was the rough terrain and not nervous laughter. She stood, holding the bare metal frame of the truck bed to look over the cab before ducking back down and reaching through the window toward me. “Come on.”

“What!?”

“Get back here!” She gestured frantically. 

“Fin, I’m driving!”

“Elena, what is the truck going to hit?”

“I don’t know, maybe THE FUCKING OCEAN!”

“Stop being so dramatic.” She leaned through the window and I could swear I heard laughter in her tone as her upper body pushed between me and the steering wheel. “Get back there...and put on the harness.”

I started to ask what the harness was for but I realized this was probably one of those ‘Coulson style’ plans that worked better if you didn’t know because If you knew your logic would argue against the sanity of the plan. I sat in the bed of the truck and put my legs through the straps while i watched Fin wedge her empty rifle between the seat and steering wheel, keeping us on course. She pulled herself out of the cab, standing again to see what was ahead of us before helping me to my feet and hooking the harness she was wearing into the one i’d just put on. 

We moved carefully to the back of the bed, the ground moving quickly under us. I wished I'd looked at the speedometer, you could only survive a car to land jump at certain speeds and something told me we were going too fast for rolling to help much. I looked up at Fin’s face, ready to question the plan, her eyes were closed and she was counting. That couldn’t be good. 

“Hold this and follow my lead.” She shoved a grappling hook into my right hand. I took it and saw that she held one also. 

“What the--” I started. Fin wrapped her free hand around my waist and i felt her fist clamp around the straps of my harness. On instinct I did the same to her.

“Jump!” She yelled a millisecond before I felt the truck bed drop from under my feet, we were falling. We’d run out of land and we hadn’t jumped in time.

I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the impact of hard, cold ocean water. 

  
  


**[The Soldier - 09:41 May 6, 2011 - FRANZ JOSEF LAND]**

_ Exit Music - Radiohead _

I walked, the men around me held guns. None of them were pointed at me but not one second passed without at least two of the men’s eyes on me. They had nothing to worry about from me, not in this moment. The woman had gotten away, which meant I had no reason to fight them. The only man that was unarmed with me was the officer I was ordered to report to when I was released from the cage and until he gave me further orders, i was to be his shadow. The light layer of snow crunched under our boots as we moved in an otherwise silent V formation, following the tire tracks. We reached the end of the trail as well as the end of the land and only ocean stretched beyond the horizon. 

__ ~~_ Soldier. Look here. _ ~~

“Солдаты. Смотри сюда.” The officer ordered, pointing to the water below. I complied. The truck I’d put the woman in was there, only the tops of the bed cover were visible, the rest had sunk below the sheet of ice. If we’d gotten here any later it might not have been visible at all. 

_ ~~Spread out, if they survived the crash they would have had to climb up somewhere. They wouldn’t be able to survive in the water for long.~~ _

“Распространение, если они пережили катастрофу, им пришлось бы где-то подняться. Они не смогут долго выжить в воде.” The team spread out.

I stood and watched the truck continue to sink, i felt my cheek twitch in protest as I clenched my jaw. I hadn’t put her in the vehicle to die. 

~~_ You see this Asset? You see the lengths the woman went to, just to escape you? _ ~~

“Вы видите этот Активы? Вы видите, сколько женщин приходила только для того, чтобы сбежать от вас?.” His voice was level and I could detect no falsehoods, but still.

~~_ That’s not true. _ ~~

“Это не правда.”

~~_ What did you say, soldier? _ ~~

“Что ты сказал, солдат?”

~~_ That is not true. Sir. _ ~~

“Это неправда. Сэр..” I enunciated through gritted teeth. 

_ I ~~t is. It seems she would rather have died than stay here with you.~~ _

“Это. Кажется, она скорее умерла бы, чем остаться здесь с тобой.”

~~_ It’s not true. _ ~~

“Это неправда.” I repeated, less sure of my own words.

~~_ What do you mean it’s not true? Look there! You gave her freedom and she drove it off a cliff. _ ~~

“Что вы имеете в виду, это неправда? Искать там! Вы дали ей свободу, и она выгнала его со скалы.”

_ ~~I told her to go!~~ _

“Я сказал ей идти!.”

_ ~~You did. And once she realized there was nowhere to run...she could have come back, but…~~ _

“Ты сделал. И как только она поняла, что некуда бежать ... она могла бы вернуться, но ....” He gestured to the cliff.

~~_ She wanted me to come with her. _ ~~

“Она хотела, чтобы я пошел с ней..” My voice sounded weak and I hated it, I knew he heard it. 

~~_ Of course she wanted you to come with her! She knows what you are, you think she would let you live? No. _ ~~

__ _~~She wanted to take you off the cliff with her...to make her death mean something~~. _

“Конечно, она хотела, чтобы вы пошли с ней! Она знает, кто ты, ты думаешь, она позволила бы ты живешь? Нет. Она хотела вытащить тебя с обрыва с ее ..., чтобы ее смерть означала что-то.”

I didn’t have an answer. I knew she worked for the agency called SHIELD, an agency that had sent others to take me out. It would make sense that once she identified me as the Winter Soldier that she would plan accordingly, that she would find a way for me to help her escape. Her training as an agent could conceivably include ways to convince me that I’d known her, to use my memories against me ...but I had trusted her words, in my heart I trusted the лил волк. I had no reason to trust his beyond the knowledge that he was in command. 

~~_ Nothing. There were no tracks in either direction. No sign that anyone left the water. _ ~~

“Ничего. В любом направлении не было никаких дорожек. Никакой знак, что кто-то оставил воду..” The team returned, reporting their findings...or lack thereof. 

_ ~~Come. We should get you back.~~ _

“Приехать. Мы должны вернуть тебя.” he motioned back toward the base and I knew where the day would end. It wouldn’t be in the cage where I’d woken up, it wouldn’t be with the company I’d had. No. It would be alone, in a chair and surrounded by the same soldiers that walked in the snow beside me now. If I was lucky, when it was over I wouldn’t remember the beautiful dame I’d helped out of the cage. I’d get a new mission and never look back. If I wasn’t...If I wasn’t they would put me into the chamber where I would be exposed to a fate similar to the sub zero ocean, but I would live. I would live frozen, trapped in my own mind with nothing to do but think about whether she survived the impact. Did she survive the fall, only to die slowly under the ice? Or had it been quick? I ran the options through my mind as we walked, for once hoping that they would take the memories from me. At the same time I wished I could remember why my subconscious summoned the phrase ‘little wolf’ when I thought of her. 


	5. The Other Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fin and Elena make the cold walk to their rendezvous.

**[Elena - 10:22 May 6, 2011 - FRANZ JOSEF LAND]**

_The Other Side - Ruelle_

We hung suspended from our hooks, dug deep into the ice, as we listened to the soldiers above us. I was grateful there had been enough erosion from the sea for us to have a slight ledge but the harness was starting to cut into my bare thighs. Fin kept looking at me, I was looking up toward the voices but I still saw her staring at my face as she waited for me to tell her they were gone. We were low enough that she couldn’t hear the men talking over the shifting water and ice below, but I could. Once I was sure they were gone I turned to her.

“So...long time no see.” I smiled half heartedly, unable to resist. “How’s it hanging?”

“You know it’s rude to get kidnapped without me. I was incredibly bored all alone out here.”

“I missed you too, Fin.”

“Shut up.” She nudged me and we started to sway on the ropes. “We don't have time to be all touchy feely.”

“Oh really?” I poked her face, inches from my own. She pushed my hands away, her expression turning serious.

“I don’t have extra gear.” She looked down at my bare legs under the tee shirt and tac vest. “We have a long way back.”

“If we go back I don't think the walk there is going to be our biggest problem.”

“If the walk back kills us, we won’t have to worry about the army. We have to get back, pick up is on that side of the coast, not this one, and without the radio they won’t be able to find us out here.”

“Where’s the radio?”

“Short wave was useless, you didn’t have yours. The long wave was too much to carry if I wanted to bring the climbing gear...and the radio would have been way less useful.” I tugged on the ropes that we were suspended from.

“Right...I’ll make due. But we have to get down first...or up.”

“We need to stay low as long as we can, walk along the ice. They may think we went down with the truck but they will keep checking the shore for signs of us.” she looked around. “If we can find glacial runoff we can climb up the ice without much evidence that we were there.”

“Why do I feel like you speak from experience?”

“Well I had to do SOMEthing while you went and had all the fun.” she rolled her eyes before exhaling a deep breath and gesturing to me. “Want to talk about it?”

“Not really.” I answered, knowing she meant where I'd been. “Not yet. Still trying to figure it out myself.”

“Fair enough.” 

We lowered ourselves to the layer of ice below in silence, I kept catching Fin beside me with a look on her face that said she wanted to speak but she never did. The stolen boots didn’t do much for my balance but they kept my feet off the ice. I was thankful for the climbing gear, a few times we needed to cross water where the ice layer had broken off and without the hooks and ropes we would have been swimming. The small breaks from walking on treacherous ice were short but with every pass the harness cut into my wind burned legs even more. I wasn’t making it far like this. I had an idea but i wasn’t sure if it was the best plan, although I knew it was a better plan than freezing. 

“You said you radioed for back up right?” I asked, trying to talk to distract myself from the cold a little longer. 

“Basically.” she shrugged.

“Good. We need to go back in.”

“Why? You barely got out!”

“I need to go back Fin.”

“Elena, you can’t go back in there! The team coming to get us is geared for extraction, not infiltration. Even if they are well armed there won’t be more than a handful. It’s suicide.”

“Fin--” I started to argue but she cut me off, stopping to turn and look at me. Her face was serious.

“Elena. You know i’m not afraid to do stupid and dangerous things, and I get you think you need to go back for some god forsaken reason but i’m telling you. It. Is. SUICIDE. I’m not getting me, you, or the extraction team killed and I know you don’t want that either.” 

She walked away, I knew she was right but that didn’t stop the pang of grief that stabbed my heart when James’ face flashed in my mind at her words. She was more spot on than she realized, it was a godforsaken reason...and if I didn't go back he would be forsaken by more than just god. I didn’t want to leave him here, the thought of it hurt more than the frigid air that burned my skin, but she was right. Without a large tactical team getting back in would be difficult and getting out would be impossible. 

I decided in that moment that I would do whatever it took to find him again. I’d looked once I had the resources to do so, i’d tried to find him after Africa, but when i couldn’t I didn't imagine that he could be mixed up in something like this. I’d been going at it on my own for years and have gotten nowhere, a mention here or there about a ghost with a metal arm but nothing more. I wouldn’t make that mistake again, when we got out of here I would talk to Coulson and convince him to help me. He was our handler, he assigned the tasks, he could assign this one to me. 

“Elena!” Fin shouted, I snapped out of my thoughts and saw her several yards ahead. I jogged to catch up. “Here, we can climb up this. Once were up it should just be walking...do you think you can make it like this or…?” She didn’t finish the question, she didn’t have to. Even when we’d started trusting each other enough to share the extent of our abilities, Fin wasn’t entirely comfortable talking about mine. She didn’t have a problem with it, not at all, but for some reason verbalizing it was an issue for her. I wasn’t sure why, didn’t everyone ask their partners to shapeshift?

“I can change.” I nodded. She started climbing the hooks, setting releasable pins as she rose, leaving me a trail of rope to follow. I scrambled up behind her, my extremities going numb from exposure as the oversized boots slid on my heels. Once I reached the top I stripped my shirt, tac vest and boots, handing them to Fin before laying in the soft layer of snow, it was cold but I was tired and didn’t care. Fin started pulling the hooks and I listened to them pop from the ice one by one as I closed my eyes, concentrating on being warm. 

I took several slow, deep breaths as I cleared my mind. It was a strange balance that needed to be found to change one’s shape. On the one hand, you needed to be calm and focused on the task at hand, but on the other hand extreme stress can trigger the change in a fight of flight hail mary. Luckily I'd gotten a good handle on that last part, the calm and focused bit was a little more difficult in field situations but I managed. I felt warmth tingle across my skin, preceding the mild itch as fur covered my limbs. It the tingle increased to the burn of over stretched muscles as my anatomy shifted to accommodate the reshaping bones. It didn’t take long before everything resettled and I felt like myself again, a different self but still me. I stretched, still on my side, spreading my padded toes in the snow creating a lopsided canine snow angel before I rolled to my feet. 

Fin sat at the top of the glacier, crouched with her gloved hands over her ears. I trotted to her, nudging her elbow with my muzzle. She shook her hands down and looked at me. 

“Sorry...I just can’t get used to the popping.” She apologized. I didn’t realize I made ‘popping’ sounds but I may have just learned to ignore them over time. “We should stick to the edges, if i can walk in shallower snow I can cover my tracks. You should be fine, wolf tracks shouldn’t raise any suspicions. We just need to get back to the tower.” 

I huffed at her, trying to explain that there were no wolves on the Franz Josef Lands but it seemed like a moot point, she was right, anyone that was sent to scout would be looking for boot prints. I smelled the air, picking up the mild odor of human and rust tinted metal on the breeze, before nodding and leading the way. 

  
  


**[Coulson - 1989 - NEW MEXICO]**

_“Take notes Phil, next time you’re on your own.” Agent Fury grinned, he liked Agent Coulson and was glad that he would be taking over some of his recruit files. He thought about letting Coulson take the lead on this one but decided he would do it for old times sake._

_They had contacted the man a few times, he was always cooperative and willing to sit down with the agency but no one had managed to get him to join the team, Fury didn’t expect this time would be any different but it was still his job. They had arranged to meet at a no name diner off I-40 where they’d rendezvous before and Coulson was pretty sure the trips were less to recruit and more an excuse for Nick to get some good food. When the agents arrived their mark was already sitting in the large corned booth, the red vinyl upholstery cracking behind him._

_“Ezekiel, it’s good to see you.” Fury greeted. The man stood to shake their hands._

_“I would say the same Nick but you never come for a friendly visit. What can I do for you and…” He hesitated, not recognizing the new face._

_“This is Agent Coulson, he will be taking over your file.” Fury explained._

_“My file.” Ezekiel shook his head as he sat back down. “The file i’d rather you not have.”_

_“Don’t take it personally, we have files on everyone.” Agent Coulson tried to put him at ease._

_“Do have annual sit-down lunches with all of them too?” Ezekiel asked. “Or just the ones you think you could exploit?”_

_“Zeke,” Fury held out his hands in a pleading gesture. “Exploit is a strong word.”_

_“What word would you used Nick? Because in my experience if these were friendly check ins they would have stopped after the first time I said I wasn't interested.”_

_“Personally, I would say ‘utilize’ over exploit. It’s not our fault that word of your...skills, reached the ears of our recruiting department. A man with talent like that, the ability to put men back together with a touch, you could help a lot of people.”_

_“I do help a lot of people, the people that need help, people that can’t help what happens to them. Sending me out with your ‘teams’ to execute the government’s agenda and doctor up soldiers isn’t what I choose to do with my life.”_

_“That’s your call.” Nick Shrugged. “How’s the family?”_

_“None of your business Nick.” Ezekiel smiled._

_“So...what’s good here?” Coulson interrupted, looking over the menu. Ezekiel laughed._

_“I like him Nick, he asks the real questions instead of wasting his breath trying to change a stubborn man’s mind.”_

_They placed their order with a young twenty-something waitress named Sarah, she brought them their food and ate in relative silence, Nick trying half-heartedly to recruit the man between bites while Ezekiel tried to size up the new agent, Coulson. In the end Ezekiel’s mind wasn’t changed and the Agents paid for the meal before leaving as quietly as they’d come. Ezekiel waited a full half hour before starting his drive home, telling himself it wasn’t paranoia when you’d literally eaten lunch with the black helicopter agents you knew were watching you._

_When he turned the corner and the little house he called home came into view through the trees he felt the tension in his shoulders disappear and he was glad he only had to put on this bull and pony show for the feds once a year. He pulled into the driveway and his wife was running out the front to him before he could even put the truck in park._

_“Zeke! Thank god.” Her voice was high and his first instinct was that something was wrong. He looked past his wife and didn’t see the blonde toddler that was her shadow._

_“What is it!?” He went to her, taking her in his arms as he spoke. “What’s wrong? Where’s our daughter?”_

_“No, oh no. it’s...Nothing’s wrong, i’m so sorry...i didn’t think.” She laughed and he understood, being in the mindset of dealing with S.H.I.E.L.D. he had mistaken her excitement for fear. “She’s fine, I just wish you’d been here for it.”_

_They went inside together and he wondered for a moment if she had gone to the bathroom by herself, potty training had been an ongoing adventure for the last few months. He walked toward his daughter’s playpen expecting to see his daughter’s beautiful blue eyes looking up at him ready to impress him with her newest word or toddler obsession. Instead of a tow headed little girl smiling up at him a silver wolf pup bounced with excitement, her little claws catching on the mesh of the pen. He lifted her out, cooing soft sounds to her._

_“You should have called.” He sighed, Emma was right. He should have been here._

_“I nearly did, but I knew who you were with...I didn’t want them to know.”_

_“You’re right.” He set the pup on the ground and it followed him clumsily._

_“You two better be back here by dinner.” Emma teased as he kisser his wife softly with a grin before stepping out the back door._

_“Promise. Love you.” He let her go, taking off his close before shifting himself into a massive timberwolf, shaking his head as he stretched his new limbs before nudging the pup out the door with him._

_“Love you too.” she whispered after them, knowing he heard._

  
  


**[Fin - 14:55 EDT May 6, 2011 - Franz Josef Land]**

The silver wolf trotting beside me wasn’t much for conversation but she was good enough company. With the binoculars I could see the tops of the buildings we were heading toward but I didn’t dare make a straight shot across the open expanse between us. If anyone was watching from said tower they would see us from miles away, if they had a sniper we’d be red stains in the snow before you could blink. I hoped that if anyone was watching that the wolf blending into the snow would obscure us both enough to go unnoticed. 

Every now and then the wolf would lift her head and I could see her nose twitch as she smelled the air. I had trouble calling the wolf ‘Elena’ in my head, I was comfortable that the two were one and the same but only ‘Skoll’ suited her when she was furred out. For the most part, the travel was uneventful, the off and on snow flurries sticking to hair and fur alike as we moved slowly toward civilization. 

Once Skoll’s air sampling resulted in a low growl and I knelt behind her on instinct, aiming the rifle I’d managed to hold onto over her back. I didn’t see anything at first, the light snowfall obscuring my vision, but after a minute of looking the being’s outline became clear. Almost like staring at one of those optical illusion posters, the curtain of snow seemed to disappear as the outline of a large white bear came into focus. I almost squealed with excitement before the self preservation part of my brain explained how that may come across as a ‘food’ sound to the eleven foot bear. I shouldered my firearm, if the bear decided to eat us it would get to me before the bullets would take it down so there wasn’t any point wasting them. I moved slowly back to my feet, keeping my head low enough to stay behind Skoll. It wasn’t hard, she was a big ass wolf. We moved out of the path of the bear, never turning our back on it but putting distance between us. I would be lying to say if wasn’t the highlight of this little adventure and i spent the rest of our walk fantasizing about how much faster we would be moving if I could ride a bear.. 

  
  


**[Elena - 23:26 EDT May 7, 2011 - Franz Josef Land]**

I wasn’t sure how long we’d been walking, i knew we’d rested once but otherwise time was irrelevant. I understood its significance, the need to track it from a human standpoint, but when i was in this form instinct was stronger than human convention and wolves care not for time. What they did care for was survival, and right now she scent on the wind was gunpowder and man. It wasn’t Fin, she was down wind of me, no this was a smell we’d been moving towards on our final approach of the buildings.When i’d first picked up on the smell i’d alerted Fin with a low growl, she looked around but seeing nothing waved me onward and i assumed she was disappointed it wasn’t another bear. I was glad it wasn’t another bear, the last one hadn’t bothered us but i didn’t think we would get that lucky twice. Fin made a soft click with her tongue to alert me, when I turned she gestured east with two fingers, indicating I should look. I did and inhaled to confirm that she’d spotted the owner of the scent.

A lone soldier paced the edge of the fence where we’d originally entered upon arrival. Him being alone was suspicious and if I didn't know better, I would have assumed it was a facade but I smelled no one else nearby. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Fin raise her firearm and I chuffed at her to keep her from firing. She had a silencer but it would still make a noticeable sound in this barren place. Instead, seeing her lower the weapon I crept forward, moving softly on the pads of my feet as I slank toward the man. Fin made a line to the building behind him and I saw her slide into the cracked doorway of the lighthouse a second before a muffled ‘thwack’ and hushed female tones. If there was more than one guard in the building she would need back up. 

I was close enough now, I lept on the man, my muzzle closing over his throat as my one-hundred-fifty pounds of fur and muscles slammed into his chest. I clenched my jaw as we fell, collapsing his windpipe before the startled gasp escaped his mouth. When I looked at his face as he took his final breaths I realized he was small and underfed, probably about my age. His body was lighter than I'd expected as I dragged him into the building behind me. 

When I was safely inside Fin closed the door, jamming it closed with one of the repelling hooks and I saw that she’d done the same to the door that led to the top of the lighthouse. I had thought we were coming to the lighthouse for high ground, maybe an air evac but that didn’t seem to be the case. I wasn’t sure what her plan was but it seemed those two directions weren’t part of it. 

“Change back, it’s warm enough in here.” She spoke softly, as though not to wake the bodies at our feet. She was right, it was warmer in here than I'd expected and I sat to focus on changing back. I saw Fin cove her ears as she started down the open stairwell, descending into an icy hall to escape my ‘popping’. It made me laugh a little to think she was squeamish about it. I’d literally seen her dislocate her shoulder during a sparring match only to put it back on her own and keep going. The other person tapped out, not wanting to win badly enough to keep going against her. I supposed that hearing it from someone else was different. The warmth of the change spread across my skin and the itching sensation of fur retracting followed, the burn of muscle and bone reshaping was less extreme in the warm room than it had been on the ice but it didn’t change the fact that when I was done my bare legs touched cold stone floor causing me to leap to my feet with a curse.

“Fuck!” I hadn’t meant to speak but the temperature shock had caught me off guard. 

“Shoes, shirt, vest?” Fin offered from the precipice of the stairs. I took the shirt first, covering myself and realizing that despite the time in Fin’s pack it still smelled like James… Yasha… whoever he is. I looked down at the russians, sizing them up. The one that had been in the lighthouse was stockier than the man outside, which made my options more limited. I knelt, unbuckling the pants of the man I'd killed. Fin saw what I was doing and came around, holding his upper body as i pulled his canvas pants off. Part of me felt bad, leaving him in his underwear in the snow but he was dead. I wasn’t. I pulled them on, thankful when they fit my waist, even if I did need to roll them several times not to trip over them before I could put on the boots. 

Fin helped be up, handing my vest to put on as we both descended the stairs in silence. Like our first trip down these stairs the air grew warmer as we went further underground, unlike last time the air was borderline sweltering by the time we reached the bottom. The ice on the walls had melted and I could hear it draining under the previously encased door, splashing into open water below. I looked past Fin at the contraption in the center of the room, our long range radio had been frankensteined into our porcelain heater in the center of the room nearer the door and the corners were filled with the heating packets from a dozen or so MRE packs. 

“You told me you failed the tech classes.” I joked, taking in the craziness around me. Coulson would be proud of her. She just shrugged in response. “Did you figure out where this leads?” I tapped the door.

“More or less.” she answered flatly, her attention focused on the ice that remained on the hinges and latch of the door. 

“Now what?”

“We wait. It shouldn’t be long now.”

“How can you tell? The radio is…” I was trying to find a nice way to say ‘eviscerated’ but she didn’t need me to finish. 

“It’s patched in to the signal for our pick up. The little heaters started the job” she paused to try to count and gave up. ”the morning after you went missing. The heater and radio are on a proximity trigger, when our ride got within range it kicked the melting into high gear. 

“Fin...i honestly didn’t know you had it in you.” the shock in my voice was genuine, she hated all of the classes that had us rewire radios and disarm detonators. I never realized she was actually paying attention. 

“Let’s keep it that way. It’s not listed as a specialty for a reason. Just because I can, doesn’t mean I want to.” I couldn’t argue, there was a reason my skills weren’t all listed in my file too. For some reason ‘nursemaid’ didn’t sound like a great job to me and I couldn’t fault Fin for not wanting to be bomb disposal or tech support either. 

***K-CHSHHHHHH*** The static on Fin’s handheld radio flared and I had to cover my ears to escape the feedback squeal that followed. Fin ripped apart some wires on the long range and it stopped.

“Hati, Skoll. Please respond. Over” Coulson’s voice came through and I saw Fin’s shoulders drop in relief as she responded. 

“Contact Confirmed. Over.”

“You kids need a ride?” His voice sounded more relieved than his first message had and I wondered how long he’d been trying to hail us on the long range signal.

“Yes, sir.” Fin laughed and I realized how happy she must be to see him after this. Hell, I was thrilled to see him and get off this rock but I would have rather stayed. I knew neither of them would let me go back in, and I knew they were right. But it didn’t shrink the guilt I felt leaving without him. 

“I’d knock but…” His voice trailed off and Fin heaved at the door, I grabbed the latch and put my weight into it. It groaned open with a grinding rusty noise that would wake the dead and I was glad we hadn’t tried to open it sooner. 

Once it was open, I could see the top few feet of a submarine cresting the layer of ice below us, Coulson waited in the open hatch as we tossed down a length of rope. Our end tightly secured into the lighthouse foundation we took turns climbing down to our escape. Fin argued about me going first and I could see in her face she wasn’t sure I would follow her if she went before me. If i was being honest i wasn’t sure myself. I relented and climbed down.

“Are you alright?” He asked as he helped my off the rope, noticing that only the tac vest was mine, the rest was scavenged. I wasn’t sure how the rest of me looked but knowing Coulson he could see everything I was thinking and feeling in my eyes. Perceptive bastard. I didn’t answer, I just shook my head ‘no’. I know if I started to tell him I wouldn't stop and now wasn’t the time. If we didn’t get out of here Fin and everyone who came to get us would be in danger, not just me. 

“OK.” He squeezed my shoulder. “Let’s get you inside, cleaned up. We can talk about it later.” He didn’t phrase it as a question but his face told me it wasn’t mandatory. I nodded and continued down the ladder. 

“Sorry to call you to pick me up from the party early, but it got out of hand.” I heard Fin joke above me, her voice echoing down the entry shaft.

“It’s fine, it was on my way home.” Coulson laughed. “Besides, it was in a bad part of town, I couldn't just leave you here.” As I made my way to the bunks I beat myself up about not returning, but Fin was right, it was suicide. I let the lightness in Coulson’s voice reverberating off the walls reassure me. Even if we had been sent to Franz Josef Land as a set up, Coulson wasn’t behind it. I knew he was one of the good ones and I wasn't sure what I'd done to get so lucky having him as a supervisor. I’d read his files, he didn’t take on Agent’s often, I suspected after losing his family he didn’t want the added responsibility. 

  
  


**[Coulson - 1991 - New Mexico]**

_The woman, Emma, watched Coulson from the doorway with her arms crossed. He couldn't hold it against her, if a stranger had brought his child home from her playdate he would be pissed. The kid in his arms wiggled, holding his aviator glasses on her tiny face as she waved at her mom with the other._

_“Hi mama!” she giggled._

_“I’m sorry for the unconventional intrusion ma’am.” Coulson stepped back so she could open the door. “I thought I should bring her to you, I called Ezekiel but he didn’t answer. I’m Agent Coulson, with S.H.I.E.L.D.”_

_“Why do you have my daughter?” She came out, holding out her arms as the child went to her._

_“I would like to wait until your husband gets here to discuss the details, nothing personal, I just don’t want to go through it twice, if that’s alright.” The kid held out his glasses to him, “Oh! Thank you.” he took them politely, tucking them into his breast pocket._

_“Do you have children Agent Coulson?” She asked, eyeing him cautiously._

_“I did. I lost her...and my wife...the price for being a spy, I’ve been told.” They stood looking at each other for a minute, neither sire where to take it. She cleared her throat._

_“Come in. I’ll see how far out Zeke is...Would you like some coffee while we wait?”_

_“That would be lovely. Thank you Mrs. Allen.”_

_Before Coulson’s coffee had cooled the slamming of a truck door in the driveway announced Ezekiel’s arrival. Coulson set the cup down and stood, preparing for a confrontation. The man stormed into the house, not stopping until he was face to face with Agent Coulson._

_“Emma, take Elena in the other room.” He said the name through gritted teeth and she didn’t argue with him. “What the fuck are you doing in my house, with my kid. I thought when you didn’t come calling last year that I'd finally gotten you people off my back.”_

_“You did.” Agent Coulson answered calmly, it only angered Ezekiel more. “After our meeting I marked your file as closed, Mr. Allen. Trying to recruit you was a waste of time and resources. You know your place in the world and it’s not with us. I respect that.”_

_“Then why are you here now?” He stepped out of Coulson’s personal bubble, giving them both room to breathe as his wife re-entered the room, without their daughter._

_“I got a call. Your friend…” He checked his notepad. “Mrs. Wickham, called 911 and the call was flagged by our department.”_

_“Mrs. Wickham?” Ezekiel looked to his wife. She nodded._

_“I...I needed to run some errands, Lydia brings her kids for playdates all the time and she offered to watch Elena. It was only for a little while, she’d watched her before.”_

_“What happened?”_

_Coulson pulled out a tape recorder and pressed play, the 911 call played:_

‘911 what’s your emergency?’ The operator’s voice was calm. A woman, professional and light. 

‘708 Corbett st. It’s my son, he was playing and...he fell. He’s bleeding.’ Mrs. Wickham’s voice was high and frantic but the operator was unphased. 

‘Ma’am is he conscious?’

‘Yes, yes, It’s just a lot of blood and...my husband has the car…’

‘It’s alright ma’am, remain calm. We have paramedics on the way. What’s his name?’

‘Andy, his name is Andy.’

‘Andy booboo, make better?’ A little girl’s voice asked, muffled in the background. 

‘Ok, we have help on the way. Andy is going to be fine--’

‘OH MY GOD!’ Mrs. Wickham screamed into the receiver.

‘Ma’am? Ma’am, what’s happening’ The operators voice still sounded calm but it held a note of urgency in response to the caller’s screams. 

‘OH MY GOD!’ Wickham repeated.

‘Ma’am i need you to talk to me, what’s happening.’

‘It’s, he’s, the bleeding stopped, it’s gone he’s fine...Elena...Elena what did you do!’

‘Ma’am, what’s happening!’

‘The girl, the little girl i’m watching she just...she just TOUCHED him and it’s, it’s Gone!’

_Coulson cut the tape._

_“The local flagged me as the agent on site, since I was already assigned to you.” Coulson nodded at Ezekiel. “I knew Elena was your daughters name as well as what you could do and put two and two together. I told them I would take care of it.”_

_“So you went to the Wickham’s and took my daughter?_

_“Honestly she was pretty freaked out, when I introduced myself she practically threw your kid at me. I brought her here.”_

_“What now? You take her since you can’t have me? Start her young?”_

_“Of course not, don’t be ridiculous. If that was the plan I wouldn't have come here first.” Coulson tried to smile but Ezekiel’s expression wasn’t having any of his levity. “Ezekiel, I answered the call so no one else would. I wanted to bring your daughter to you and reassure you.” He handed Ezekiel a clipboard with papers attached._

_“What is this?” Ezekiel looked at the documents in his hands. He read. There were notations regarding the 911 call they’d just listened to, as well as a statement from Mrs. Wickham. Underneath it all was a small paragraph in neat handwriting that said:_

_Anomaly investigated. No evidence to confirm. File closed. - Agent Phil Coulson_

_“I don’t understand.” Emma announced, looking over her husband’s shoulder._

_“I’m not the bad guy.” Coulson took back the papers. “I wanted you to know that. I don’t want your kid, I don’t want to harass you. I just want to do my job.”_

_“What exactly is that Agent Coulson? I’m afraid Nick never explained it to me.”_

_“I find people with skills that are useful to the agency. Like you. It’s our job to convince them to join us, and make sure they stay on the right path if they don’t...Ezekiel you haven’t done anything to hurt anyone, or draw unwanted attention to yourself. I have no reason to be your enemy. I need you to know that because if someday any of that changes I want you to know you can trust me.”_

_“Can you promise you can keep S.H.I.E.L.D. away from my little girl?”_

_“I can assure you that we have no interest in children, and if she ever needs the agency I will be there for her myself. I promise.”_

  
  


**[Fin - 01:03 EDT May 8, 2011 - Franz Josef Land]**

I told him everything I knew, things I knew for sure and things I assumed. I was sure to specify which was which. I was exhausted but I knew i wasn’t going to sleep until I talked to Coulson. As an adult I hated to admit it, but talking to him calmed my mind and sometimes that’s what you need in life. Someone who will listen to you without judging and in the end tell you it will be alright, even if it might not be.

When I was little, maybe twelve, I'd called him a liar for telling me it would be alright after I'd figured out who I really was and how S.H.I.E.L.D affiliates might react to the revelation. He told me that I was right, that it was a lie, but it was his job to lie to me. I’d asked why and he laughed and told me it was his job. Not his job as an agent, being a spy doesn’t have to involve lying, but being a parent does because you do intend to make sure everything will be alright, but some things are beyond your control. I didn’t really understand what he meant then, but I did eventually. 

Now as I sat in his small bunk room in the submarine, explaining that based on Elena being taken and finding a small army of Russians I thought the whole mission was a setup, he waited for me to finish. When I did he just nodded and reached over to squeeze my hand as he said,

“Everything is going to be alright.” I knew he was lying but I felt better in the moment, even if it was short lived. 

I made it to an empty bunk by the time my body recovered from the cold enough to stop feeling sluggish. I pulled myself up into the cubby, closing the curtain to block the light before laying back and closing my eyes. I was ready to sleep, safe and warm and on my way home, I needed it. The low rumble of the engines echoed through the metal walls and the white noise of water passing over the hull on the other side was constant. I tried to put it out of my mind and instead began to pick up the muffled voices of men in the adjacent cabin. I rolled over, folding the thin pillow around my head. It worked to dampen the sounds around me but it amplified the sounds I couldn't escape; my own breathing, my heart beat, the blood rushing in my ears. 

It was going to be a long night.


	6. Half of Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls have to deal with some downtime after their misadventure on Franz Josef Land.

**[Elena - 08:59 EDT May 14, 2011 - New York]**

_ Half of me - Emily Browning _

I stood, staring at the folded piece of paper in my hand and wishing Fin had come along instead of going to see Peggy. It was ridiculous how quickly we’d become reliant on each other and our adventure in Franz Josef Land did nothing to ease the anxiety in the rare moments we were apart. I checked the address again, 159 Lexington Ave. 0900. Penelope. 

The little diner had small tables under the striped awning, I didn’t know if the person I was meeting was inside already or if I should sit down out here and wait. I didn’t even know who i was meeting. Coulson had talked to me about Franz Josef Land, I’d told him about the russians and my thoughts that they may have red room connections, even though that branch was supposedly defunct. I had asked him to help me find the man I'd been held captive with, although I left out some details in that regard. I hated keeping things from Coulson but I wasn’t sure which details might have the man labeled a threat. It didn’t matter, even with what little I’d told him, Coulson said he would see what he could do. He’d called me last night, offering this meeting to talk to someone else and I wondered what kind of help he was really trying to give me. Help letting go of the man I’d left behind? Help moving forward? Or help finding him…

Given the fact that I wasn't entirely convinced that he hadn’t sent me here to meet Dr. Whitehall, i was hoping on the former options. 

“Elena?” A woman’s voice said my name and startled me, it wasn’t a voice I recognized. I turned slowly and saw a woman with green almond shaped eyes, a button nose and long wavy burgundy hair. She wore a black pencil skirt and white button up blouse that flattered her curves but she held herself in a way that told me she would have no trouble kicking my ass if I tried anything. I only knew of one person in S.H.I.E.L.D. that matched that description, and she just so happened to be working with Coulson on the ‘Iron Man’ issue.

“You must be Natasha?” I hadn’t meant for it to be a question but my inflection made it come out that way. 

“Good guess. And here I thought I'd managed to maintain some mystery.” She raised a sarcastic eyebrow at me. “So, shall we sit? There’s a corner booth in the back that’s quite private. Coulson tells me you have a...friend that you wanted to find and he thinks I might be able to help. Barring that, he said you might have some questions that I'm uniquely qualified to answer.”

“I might.” I opened the door for us, letting her lead the way to the aforementioned booth. It was a large table, meant for six or more people and we sat ourselves deep into the corner, hidden from the rest of the diners. A waitress brought us menus and we didn’t talk as I decided what food was appropriate for such a meeting. Eventually she decided on french toast and a spinach omelette, i got strawberry pancakes. I wasn’t hungry, not really, but when you are meeting the Black Widow for breakfast it seemed unwise to make her eat alone. I hoped that somehow meeting here and eating would make the conversation feel more casual and realized that was probably what Coulson had intended as well.

“So, where do you want to start?” The corner of her mouth twisted up in a grin and I wasn't sure what I'd gotten myself into. Instead of letting her unnerve me I blurted the first thing that popped into my head. 

“Tell me about the Winter Soldier.” The name or title or whatever it was, real or not, has stuck in my brain. She leaned back in the booth, crossing her arms as she narrowed her eyes at me. 

“You know, when Coulson asked me to do this I thought it was just another new agent wanting to put a face to the ‘black widow’ name. Clint tried to tell me you weren’t like that but I'd planned to come here and scare you off.”

“What changed your mind?”

“No one has ever asked me about him.”

“Why not?”

“Because he doesn’t exist.” she winked at me and another woman, dressed in the same uniform as our waitress, set our plates in front of us. She took a bite of her omelette and gestured to my plate in front of me. “Eat, we might be here a while.”

She made small talk while we ate, asking how I liked working with Coulson and Fin. She nodded knowingly when I explained they were like family, apparently Coulson made that impression on a lot of people. When she asked why I’d decided to become an agent I wasn’t sure how to answer, originally I'd called Coulson because I thought it would help me find James. During training I realized I wanted to be an agent even if I couldn’t find him. I wanted to be an agent because I could make a difference, and if I had chosen to stick to wildlife conservation they would have assigned me to that division but meeting Coulson and Fin had made me realize I could change the bigger picture. She didn’t comment when I tried to explain my reasoning to her but her face told me that she understood that too. She asked about my family, my background, my life as it was and where I wanted it to go. By the time we were done eating I had almost forgotten that we didn’t know each other before today and I assumed that was why she was so good at her job, she somehow found a way to put you at ease. 

She paid for our food, generously tipping the waitress as she explained we would be tying up her table and asked for a karaf of fresh coffee to be left for us. The waitress compiled and Natasha poured herself a cup, stirring in a little cream as she spoke. 

“It’s still early in the day for ghost stories, but you asked. He’s credited for over 200 assassinations in the last 50 years. Most people think the name is an alias, like James Bond, that’s passed from agent to agent. I don’t know about that. What I do know is that a few years back I was escorting an engineer out of Iran when someone shot out my tires. We went over a cliff but I got us out. I was covering him when the winter soldier took his shot.” She sipped her drink and continued, not waiting for me to engage. “The bullet went through me. It’s one of the few missions I've failed so I won't soon forget it.”

“How do you know it was him? The winter soldier, and not just someone who knew what they were doing?”

“He has a signature, soviet made slugs. No rifling. The same slug we pulled out of my engineer.”

“What else?”

“What do you mean, ‘what else’?”

“I mean, soviet slug with no rifling is a pattern, sure, but it doesn’t point to one man. Several people using the same alias and the same slugs would make more sense over that time line.”

“The metal arm is also a dead giveaway.” She grinned into her mug in a way that made me think her holding back of information was a test. 

“Like the assassin in wakanda.” it wasn’t a question and her eyebrows rose.

“Exactly like that.”

“You don’t think it was?” That time it was a question, I'd been in Wakanda at the time of the attack and knew the man who’d been called the winter soldier had been there too. Metal arm and all. 

“If it was, the King would be dead. The Winter Soldier is a single minded machine, he doesn’t fail missions. I think someone wanted the world to think it was him, maybe to try to flush him out. That’s the only thing that explains the media frenzy.”

“Do you know who he is?” I couldn’t help myself. 

“No. No one does, but there are theories. There always are.”

“Like what?”

“In my experience the winter soldier is a single minded individual whose job is to take out targets that no one else can get near. He doesn’t care for consequences or rewards, he only cares about completing a mission. There is only one of him, and when I say he’s a ghost it’s not because he isn’t real, it’s because if he is real he isn’t who he used to be. Whoever he was died a long time ago and what’s left is a shell. There is no reason for a killer as skilled as him to follow orders and yet he does.” She scrutinized my reaction before continuing. “My favorite conspiracy theory that I've come across is that he was part of the red room. I like it because it has some merit, his hand to hand style is very similar, but also it would explain his discipline. At its core the red room is a brainwashing program.”

“You know, coming from anyone else I would think this was some conspiracy bullshit.”

“Well, the other option is there is no such thing and he is just another bogeyman to blame when tragic happens with no apparent reason. Take your pick, honestly, how do you know it’s not all conspiracy bullshit?” She grinned and reminded me of a fox that just found a way into the hen house. 

“I guess I don't.” I smiled back, trying to out predator her grin as i asked my next question. “ I don’t think there’s anything about the red room that isn’t already on file, thanks to you, I assume. But one thing that I wondered. How do they get recruits, they start as children don’t they?”

“Orphanages mostly, if you aren’t being adopted by rich american’s what use are you?” She scoffed, trying to mask the disappointment that I'd changed the subject. “Once you reach three or four you aren’t a cute baby anymore and if someone wants to give you a home and an education you don’t ask questions.”

“Is that the only way? Would they try to implement a selective breeding program? Taking the strongest and best to make more of the same?” For a second I could have sworn that her face registered an emotion I would call ‘surprise’, as though the question had caught her off guard, but she recovered so quickly I couldn't be sure. 

“Not in the red room.” She thought for a moment. “Not with the women at least, most of the men remained intact to keep them aggressive so it wouldn’t be impossible. What makes you ask?”

“Did Coulson tell you anything about why he wanted you to talk to me?”

“He said that you’d run into some Russians and had questions…”

“They took me and locked me in a cage with an ‘asset’. The man they put me with had orders to ‘breed’ with me. He didn’t.”

“He refused a direct order?”

“Yes. And helped me escape.”

“Coulson didn’t bring him back with you?” 

“No, he helped me get out but he didn’t, they caught him. I’m trying to get information to find him and get him out...i owe him that.”

“I hate to say it but, if it was a red room operation, he was dead as soon as he helped you.”

“And if it wasn’t?” I tried not to sound as panicked as I felt. She shrugged.

“If it wasn’t...it would depend on how valuable of an asset he is to them.”

I exhaled, equal parts relief and frustration. Surely the winter soldier was valuable enough not to kill for helping one girl escape. 

“Was there anything else you wanted to ask?” she prompted when i’d sat too long with my own thoughts. I didn’t have any more questions, not really, but I wasn't taking this chance for granted.

“Tell me anything you think might help me find him...if he isn’t dead.” My voice had come out flat and serious and she looked at me, unblinking for a moment. 

“I’m going to need more coffee.” 

  
  


**[Fin - 09:32 EDT May 14, 2011 - New York]**

“I can’t do it! I can’t take it anymore!” I sounded like a petulant child, even to myself. 

I’d come to visit Aunt Peggy for advice and was relieved to find her having a good day. I’d told her about the mission to Franz Josef Land and how it had gone, mostly I’d told her how the days with no one to talk to haunted me. It seemed a small thing to be bothered by, compared to everything else. I’d been shot at, I’d killed people, I’d lost my partner. But in the end I wasn’t shot, those I killed were trying to kill me, and I’d gotten Elena back. Those things were part of the job and when I came home having lost nothing I was comfortable calling it a win. For some reason, the silence is what bothered me. It was hard for me to put into words, saying that silence had a sound didn’t make sense but I didn’t know how else to explain it. The days without someone to talk to, even having another person nearby to hear moving, breathing beside you was something I wasn’t prepared for. At home I had the sounds that you take for granted, the hum of electricity, the footsteps of the people in the apartment above you. There I had nothing but what was in my head and I’d long been aware I was uncomfortable there. What was the phrase? ‘Here there be monsters’? Ha. Monsters didn’t come close to what I had in there. Things I didn’t even know …or want to know about

The issue I seemed to be having as of late wasn’t the silence or the monsters hidden in my memory, the problem now was all the noise. I’d spent so many days desperate to hear a sound on the archipelago that I couldn’t figure out how to turn down the heightened awareness. I heard everything that I’d taken for granted before. The sound of electricity buzzed in my head when I tried to sleep, the pounding of the footsteps above me sent my heart racing. When I did sleep I dreamt of silence, never-ending silence. I am alone in the snow and there is no sound and I open my mouth just to hear something and nothing comes out. I scream silently into the abyss until my lungs ache and the sound of my voice in real life finally penetrates enough to wake me. Elena was less than thrilled at the new development but I didn’t want to bother her with it, I knew she had her own shit from our trip to deal with. Instead I went to Peggy, I wasn't sure if it was the best plan but I wasn’t ready to talk to Coulson about it either. He’d been busy enough with his top secret Greenland project. 

Peggy’s idea was to readjust to the sounds of silence in the everyday world by sitting without speaking for as long as I could stand it. Turns out, it wasn’t long at all. I could hear my own heart beating in my chest, alternating beats with a heart monitor in another room. I could hear the hum of the fluorescent light above me, clicking sporadically with a flicker. I could hear the nurses in the hall, their shoes squeaking on the linoleum and their soft voices trying to keep everyone here placid. I broke within two minutes. 

“Well...I can see how that would be a problem.” She sighed calmly. I almost didn’t hear her speak over the sounds I was hyperfocusing on. That was what concerned me more than anything else. If Elena and I went into the field and I was listening to ambient sound and missed something I needed to hear...it was the difference between life and death. 

“Any suggestions?”

“Have you tried talking about it? Getting out of your own head?” She smiled, I returned the expression. 

“I’m talking to you!” I knew that she meant I should see my therapist, but he worked for shield and I was already hesitant to share these things with him. I never knew what would be grounds for termination and this job was all I'd ever wanted.

“I’m not sure how much help I can be Finlay, I don’t…” Her voice trailed off and I thought I’d lost her for the day. Taking a deep breath I braced myself for the version of Peggy that might finish the sentence, or start a new one but instead her eyes lit up. “Actually, I might have an idea.”

“Really?” I wasn’t surprised, she was always brilliant, but I'd been thinking about it since Coulson had picked us up and had come up with nothing. 

“Yes. Don’t sound so shocked dear. I’m old, not stupid.” 

“I--” I started but she cut me off. 

“Shush, i’m only joking.” She leaned forward, patting my hand. “Have you tried listening to music? While you sleep I mean.”

“No, I didn’t think adding more noise would solve anything.”

“It might not, but try it. Pick something you enjoy and put it on a loop so your subconscious knows that it’s something you want to hear and not something intrusive. Hopefully if you dream about being alone in the snow the music will come through instead of the screaming.”

“It’s worth a shot, I'm sure Elena would appreciate the uninterrupted sleep as much as I would ...but what about when i’m not asleep? If I'm keeping myself busy I'm fine but if we go out on recon or something where I have to sit...I can’t be listening to music and paying attention to what’s around me.”

“Why ever not?”

“It would be too much going on!” 

“Says who? How many things are you hearing right now while I talk to you?” 

I tried to count and couldn't, there were too many little things adding up. 

“I’m not sure...a lot.” I admitted. 

“What would be easier, listening to all that and trying to listen to me or listening to a song that you’re used too and me?” She had a point, I hadn't thought of it that way. If I was going to listen to several things at once, keeping one of them a constant instead of a random managery would help me concentrate on the thing that changed, which would be the thing I needed to notice. 

“Music and you. I’m not sure how it would work though. I need to figure out how to hear music and coms and I still need to hear what’s around me.”

“We had an agent in the S.S.R., His code name was Hawk but his real name was Hudson. He was one of the best infiltrators i’ve ever seen and I never understood how he managed it. What I did know is that he would set his missions to music before hand. It seemed absurd at the time but he would get the schematics and mentally map out his way in, picking a song or two that would correspond to the route. When it was time to go in, he would listen to the songs over earbud and the ques in the music would tell him where he needed to turn, or where a camera was or a guard. It was quite remarkable.” She got a far off look, remembering, and I wished I could find a way for her to keep that beyond this moment. “Anyway, he had us make an earbud that had a decibel sensor, so if anything in his vicinity made noise it would lower the volume of the music and the same would happen if someone needed to speak to him. I never understood how it wasn’t a terrible distraction but I suppose there are worse things than music.”

She wasn’t wrong, I thanked her for her help by taking her to lunch. A small reprieve from the assisted living facility she lived in. It was a nice place but the menu was lacking comfort foods like english tea and cakes. Once I'd taken her home I made a call to Agent Hill.

Normally I would have called Coulson, but he would have had to call Hill to get it done and I needed this quickly. I was hoping that despite this being something beyond standard issue tech that she could get the adjustment expedited, until then I would go home and start compiling a playlist and hope for a long and restful night. 

  
  


**[Coulson - 20:45 EDT July 8, 2011 - New York]**

Coulson had been staring at the seven foot long ice cube for what seemed like hours, it was roughly the size and shape of a man if you squinted and used your imagination but Coulson didn’t need to, he knew what was inside. Everyone on the team was going about this as a recovery mission, but not Coulson. True there weren’t lifesigns that could be detected but that didn’t deter him, he knew this was a rescue. 

Unfortunately he was the only one and the crew that had extracted the ice had been working under the ‘recovery’ standpoint based on the x-ray of the subject. They hadn’t wanted to cut too close to the body in case it caused damage to the tissue which resulted in a few superfluous feet of ice, he was trying to remember which method worked the best to thaw ice without burning the person they were trying to free. He remembered hot water was best for a gentle thaw but he would need one hell of a hot tub for this behemoth. 

He went down the list in his mind; chisel? Would be fast for making progress but could potentially do damage. Blowtorch? Too much potential for burning. Space heaters? Same issue as torch, to a lesser extent, but with the added danger or melting ice and electricity. Hair dryer? No, that would take too long. He remembered the last time he’d had this problem, trying to recall but found himself drawing a blank before he realized that he had come into that venture late, bulk of the thawing process had been done by the time he’d become involved. Damn it. He cursed his younger self for not asking more questions. 

His train of thought took him to Fin and he recalled how she’d excitedly told him about thawing an underground metal door with MRE packs. He couldn’t help but laugh as he called down to supply to request a couple hundred heat packs. 

“Why?” they asked, what could he possibly need them for?

“It’s classified.” And there it was, the answer every agent loved giving and hated getting even more. The man on the line with him sounded dejected. 

“Yes sir. I’ll have them sent up.”

“Thank you. Oh, and would it be possible to acquire a portable sauna?” The idea had popped in his head in the moment and he didn’t have time to question it. “I’m sure we don’t have one on hand, expense it to me if you need to.”

“Um...Yes, sir. Agent Coulson.” The genuine confusion as the man hung up made him a little giddy and he hoped the expense report went across Fury’s desk, he could only imagine what he would think. 

He didn’t get to revel in the moment long before his phone interrupted his thoughts. He looked down and saw ‘FIN’ glowing up at him. He answered. 

“Oh, Thank God.” She sounded relieved and it was his turn to be confused. 

“Hi Fin. What’s wrong?” He tried to sound calm, hoping it would have a contagious effect. 

“Where are you!?” she sounded less concerned and more upset, clearly the calm approach wasn’t working. 

“I’m at work, why?” Maybe some genuine confusion would diffuse the situation. Her exasperated sigh did nothing to reassure him. 

“I got to the house and there’s melted ice cream cake on the stoop, you’re always home for your birthday and if it was here then you didn’t answer the door and I thought...nevermind I...I should have realized you would be working. You have been since we got back. I overreacted.”

Her tone was apologetic but instead of making him feel better, a wave of guilt washed over him. She would have had to put in for the day off to come see him at this hour. She had taken the day off to spend with him and he hadn’t even realized that it was his birthday.

“I’m sorry Fin, I didn’t realize…”He didn’t know how to finish. 

“I know whatever you dug up in Greenland had you busy...but I haven't seen you in weeks Pop. That in itself isn’t strange but i haven’t even heard from you! If I went this long without making contact you would have sent a strike team to bring me in by now!”

“You’re right, I'll make it up to you as soon as I can, I promise. I just need to take care of this.”

“You need to micromanage it you mean?” She replied, and not incorrectly. 

“Yes. I need to micromanage the shit out of this because I’m an overbearing control freak.” He echoed her own words back to her, recalling the argument with a seventeen year old Fin. It seemed like both yesterday and a million years ago. 

“Fine. Go, spread your obnoxious control freak wings. Be free. But CALL me please. Let me know that you haven’t worked yourself into the ground.”

“Affirmative.” He smiled. 

“Happy Birthday, Pop.” She exhaled before hanging up.

  
  


**[Fin - 13:02 EDT August 1st, 2011 - Classified]**

_ I am the fire - Halestorm _

“You ready?” Elena’s voice cut through the music playing over the coms. I was still getting used to the constant sound with interruptions but the concept seemed to be working so far. Until now I’d only tested it in training scenarios but today we were going to see how it fared in the real world. I think I was more nervous about it than Elena, the trial runs had reassured her enough to move into the field and her confidence in me convinced me to agree to take this mission. Even though the music had been helping me sleep I was having second thoughts about jumping back into work. 

“Fin?” She asked again and I realized I hadn't answered her. 

“Sorry. Yeah. I’m good.” I nodded, shaking the negative thoughts out and focusing on the song that was playing on repeat in my ears. __

_ [Am i brave enough? Am I strong enough?] _

I had originally bought the song for my trips to the gym and had chosen it on a whim for my distraction music. It was doing its job, it was a hard song to ignore. 

_ [To push away my fear, to stand where I'm afraid] _

“Are you sure?” I nodded and the back hatch of the helo opened, revealing the black night sky we were hiding in. “Alright. Recon says there are 18 warm bodies inside, we only need Greymark alive. The rest are expendable.” 

_ [I am through with this 'cause I am more than this, I promise to myself alone and no one else] _

“Copy.” I responded. We wouldn't go if I didn't get my shit together. The lines dropped from the hatch and we hooked in. 

_ [My flame is rising higher] _

__ “Drop in 3...2…” She counted down on her fingers. When she hit 1 we repelled from the helo, the sound of glass shattering below is as the charges blew out windows for us filtered through the music.

_ [I am the fire. I am burning brighter] _

We landed together in the dark building, the power had been knocked out by the recon team and we flipped down the infrared lenses. Luckily we didn’t need much help, our low light vision was above average as it was, but every advantage helped.

_ [Roaring like a storm, I am the one I've been waiting for] _

We split up once we reached the hall, Elena went up to push the target onto the roof where additional agents would be waiting to extract him. I headed down the hall toward the invisible markers that pointed to where the first unit had seen backup. I needed to cut them off before they could come up behind us. 

_ [Screaming like a siren, alive and burning brighter, I am the fire] _

I turned the corner, several warm bodies were spread across the room but none of them identified as Greymark. I took them out. 

_ [I've been sacrificed, My hearts been cauterized, hanging on to hope,] _

The muzzle flash lit the room in a slow strobe, a few of them managed to return fire but they all shot high, not anticipating their attacker to enter in a low crouch. 

_ [shackled by the ghost of what I once believed that I could never be] _

__ I cleared the floor. 

“Hati, clear. Proceed up.” a voice from the recon team broke through the chorus. 

“Roger. Going up.” I responded as I made my way to the stairs. 

_ [What’s right in front of me] _

There was only one man on the stairs, likely coming down to see what the commotion was. I dropped him as he reached for his radio. 

_ [I am the fire.] _

I cleared the next floor, and the next. No more men. 

_ [I am burning brighter] _

“Target in position. Get the power back up” Elena whispered over coms. __

_ [Roaring like a storm, I am the one I've been waiting for] _

“Retrieval team inbound. Prepare to cover our exit.” Another voice answered.

_ [Screaming like a siren, alive and burning brighter, I am the fire] _

_ “ _ Hati, cover our exit and get up here.” 

_ [I don't believe I'll fall from grace. Won't let the past decide my fate’] _

“Gladly.” I made my way to the elevator in the center of the building, pressing the call button and having a surreal moment of calm as I waited for the doors to open. When it did a man lunged out, grabbing for me. I flipped him over my shoulder, pulling my side arm to take him out before he could get back up.

_ [Leave forgiveness in my wake.] _

I took the device from my pack, arming it and placing it in the elevator before sending it to the sub basement and jogging back to the stairs. I made it to the roof as Greymark was being shuffled onto a prisoner helo. Our ride was still hovering above as I walked up to Elena. 

“We good?” She asked hooking into the tethers that seemed to be dangling from the sky. 

_ [Take the love that I've embraced] _

“All set.” I smiled, following suit. The wenches above kicked in, reeling is up as I detonated the device in the building below. 

_ [I promise to myself] _

There wasn’t a sound to accompany the explosion, not that far below ground, but we heard the structure buckle below us as it’s weight shifted and fell. The recon team had made sure everything within the fall zone was cleared before hand and S.H.I.E.L.D. would back file reports to point to structural weakness that had been ignored by the building owners. I couldn’t help but watch it crumble as we were pulled into the helo. 

_ [me and no one else] _

“Well, that went well.” Elena sounded surprised, apparently her confidence in this working had been feigned. She was getting much better at the espionage side of things but i wasn’t sure how I felt about her using this new skill against me. 

_ [I am more than this] _

“It’s a start.” I smiled back, happy to have it confirmed that I was still capable of doing my job. 

_ [I am the fire] _


	7. I put a spell on you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Officially back on active status, Fin and Elena find themselves scheduled to work on Halloween.

**[Elena - 18:28 EDT October 30th, 2011 - New York]**

“I can’t believe we have to work on Halloween.” Fin complained. She was normally happy to be called in but missing the giant bash that was being thrown at Frank’s tonight had her in a mood. 

“At least we still get to dress up.” I tried using it to placate her but she wasn’t having it and I got the feeling that it was going to be a long night. 

“Yea, I guess. But it’s still work.” She sighed. 

“Fin, you LIKE work.” I laughed. I couldn’t help it. 

“Shut up with your logic!” When we got the news that we would be working in costume Fin had refused to wear what she’d gotten us for Frank’s so we were recycling outfits from a few years back. Even though she wasn’t happy about the change in plans it didn’t stop her from going all out for the costume, we’d spent the last few hours dying her hair black in the sink so it would be dry in time to get dressed and I couldn’t help but laugh at her when she started prancing around in the flowy blue dress. She pulled on the black calf high boots, buckling them in place before picking up her ‘prop’ axe and sword. I knew the only thing ‘prop’ about them was that they were modeled after the weapons in _‘Serenity_ ’ but most people wouldn’t look twice which is why she chose these outfits. Weapons hiding in plain site were a plus when working on halloween. Fin left me to get ready, I caught her doing tai chi with the weapons when I’d crossed through the living room to get my shoes and hoped she would keep it up long enough for me to catch her on camera. 

I packed a few preloaded magazines into the pockets of my coveralls, there was something to be said for a costume with pockets. I picked up the MP5k and ran a hand through my hair to get it out of my face before our ride got here. We didn’t know who was running with us but we were told they would be at our apartment to pick us up at 6:30. 

“If you’re done, we have to get downstairs.” I interrupted her after I had sufficient blackmail video.

“Uh...yea. Let’s go.” She blushed, realizing I had caught her. There was a car waiting by the time we reached the bottom of the stairs and I assumed it was safe to say it was our ride when I saw the driver wearing Jayne’s knit cap. He leaned across the console of the sedan to open the passenger door. 

“I feel like all I do is drive you two around these days.” He teased. 

“You’re the only one that answers our phone calls anymore.” I shrugged before climbing into the driver seat, Fin made herself comfortable in the back seat.

“Hi Pop! To what do we owe the pleasure?” 

“Well I heard you two needed a third and I do owe you.”

“Yes you do. What’s the job? We were told our driver would have the details.” That’s our Fin, complain about working until it’s time to work, then it’s all about getting shit done.

“We’re after a man named Dominic Stanislavski. I’m here in a supervisory capacity, and to lend a hand if you need me to. You two just need to paint a mark.” He held up a small spray vial that looked like minty breath spray, Fin took it. “Preferably on skin, it’s harder for the target to get it off. Strike team will take care of the rest.”

“Why do they get to have all the fun.” Fin pouted, she hated missions where she only got to be there for the kick off and not the take down. I couldn't argue with her, it was less satisfying than seeing it through but we didn’t make the rules.

  
  
  


**[Fin - 19:41 EDT October 30th, 2011 - New York]**

We’d been at the party for a while, Elena and I had wandered through the dance floor while Coulson sat at the bar doing his best to be invisible. We just needed to get a tracker on the target before he left but first we needed the guy to show up. 

“VIP has arrived.” Coulson whispered into the coms but he didn’t give us any direction. I watched a man enter with two apelike bodyguards escorting him to a private booth. Other men in similar dress fanned out around the walls and confirmed this was our man. I watched him go, he was tall and slender, the kind of guy you should expect to be stronger than he looks. His cropped black hair paired with the way he carried himself told me he likely had military training. I waited for instructions from Coulson and his silence told me he was letting us take the lead.

“I have an idea.” I pulled Elena behind me into the ladies room and the vacant handicapped stall. I removed my concealed weapons and passed them to her. “I’m going off coms.”

“Are you sure that’s the best plan?” Elena trusted my judgement and I knew she was asking on Coulson’s behalf.

“It might not be the best, but it will work. Trust me.” I smiled, hearing Coulson’s exhale as I took the com out of my ear. I knew he would be able to hear me through Elena’s while we were in the bathroom but I wouldn’t have him in my head. “The first thing I need is for Coulson to play more drunk than he is ...and put the hat back on.”

“He says ‘done and done’.” Elena was having fun being the go between and something told me he’d used more colorful words than that. 

“I’ll get him our guy of the booth. Coulson wait for the signal and then punch him in the face.”

“He wants to know what the signal is.”

“The signal is me giving him a reason to punch the guy in the face.” I said calmly, knowing it would frustrate Coulson but the vagueness was payback for all the times he took me into a mission with no instruction past ‘trust me’.

“What about me?” Elena asked. I handed her the spray that would activate the biological tracker. We just had to get it on his skin and we were good to go. 

“After he gets punched I need you to play concerned and helpful bystander. Help him up and paint him.”

“Sounds good.” she took off the top of her coveralls, tying it around her waist and exposing her midriff, making her costume more ‘club dress’ and less ‘authentic costume before dropping the spray into her pocket. She unloaded the MP5 and pulled the firing pin before stashing it in a ceiling tile with my axe and sword.”You know, I suddenly feel like dancing.”

We exited the stall and she left me alone in the bathroom to get a head start. I ran my hands through my hair and pinched my cheeks, making me looked flushed and drunk. Another woman entered the restroom, grinning when she caught me primping.

“See something you like out there?” She grinned wickedly.

“Something like that.” I smiled back. 

“Here. Trust me, it never fails.” She held out a tube of lipstick and I took it, applying a layer of blood red to my lips before handing it back with a thanks. I turned to leave and felt the woman slapped my ass on the way out. “Go get em tiger!”

  
  


**[Coulson - 19:57 EDT October 30th, 2011 - New York]**

_I Put a Spell on You - Joss Stone_

Coulson watched Fin emerge from the bathroom, They briefly made eye contact and she winked as she walked confidently to the VIP booth stopping when a large suited man blocked her path. He couldn’t hear what she was saying since she had ditched her mic but her body language suggested flirting.

Coulson suddenly found his motivation for wanting to hit someone.

She leaned around the man and pointed at his boss, the guy we were here for. When he looked her way she crooked her finger, beckoning him to come with her. He nodded sharply and the bouncer forcefully turned her around. For a second Coulson thought she was being turned away but seeing the smirk of satisfaction on her face he realized she was being frisked by the bodyguard to make sure she wasn’t a threat. Coulson tensed but they found nothing and he realized she must have passed her gear to Elena. 

The bartender refreshed his drink and he managed to convincingly stumble onto the dance floor toward where Elena danced with some other women in a group. He concentrated on watching the ice as he swayed with the music. Before long the crowd had made bubble around the old drunk guy on the dance floor. 

Coulson saw Fin leading the target by the hand, looking over her shoulder at him as they cut through the crowd before stopping at the edge of his little space. The mark pulled her close and started to move his hips to the music, their faces inches apart. He would say something and she would laugh, running her finger down his chest and looking up at him through her batting eyelashes. 

Coulson’s hands clenched into fists but he didn’t think it was the signal, overbearing father wasn’t really a reason. The man put his hands on her hips and pulled her close enough that she ground against him for a moment before she pushed away. He didn't like that she wasn’t letting him have his way with her and he spun her, yanking her back to him as he hissed words into her ear with his teeth bared. One of his hands kept her pressed to him as the other dug into her hair and a little squeak of pain escaped her lips. 

Coulson punched him. He didn’t care if that wasn't the signal.

He also didn’t notice that he happened to punch the man with the hand holding his glass until he saw the blood on the man’s cheek. Fin shouted for a bouncer to remove the violent drunk who couldn’t mind his own business as Elena offered him her cocktail napkin. When his personal body guards tried to push her away she explained that she was a nurse and he probably had glass in his face. They let her keep doctoring him and luckily the club’s bouncers made it to Coulson before the target’s personal goon squad. They tried to get a hold of Fin as she yelled above the crowd but she pulled away, spitting at the target on the floor and calling him an expletive in spanish that Coulson was pretty sure translated to ‘greasy horndog’ but not the PG version. 

She met Coulson in the car, handing him a cloth from the bar she’d grabbed on her way out. He pressed it to his palm with a grimace. 

“Elena will get you fixed up when she gets out.” Fin reassured him. 

“I know. Nice plan by the way...was that actually the signal?” He asked. 

“Of course!”

“Painted like a cheap whore.” Elena announced as she practically fell into the back seat, slamming the door behind her with an exhale. “And tried to cop a feel while I pulled glass out of his face. I excused myself to the ladies room and snuck out the back. I did grab this.” She passed the MK5 to Fin, along with the axe and sword.

“I can’t believe got to work on Halloween!” Fin squealed as she took the weapons.

“Well.” Coulson sat back in the driver seat.”What do you ladies say to us picking up some food and having a nice evening at home. Maybe a long weekend? Your boss says you deserve it.”

“Sounds perfect.” the women said in unison.


End file.
